Timeframe
by Cyber Rogue
Summary: A ground bridge malfunctions and sends Jack, Miko, and Raf to an unknown world. Or do they know this world?
1. Chapter 1

Jack Darby groaned as he looked up in confusion, his head pounding as he kneeled on the cold ground. Two thoughts came to mind: One; this was all Miko's fault. It always was. Two; where were they?

"I _so_ did not see that coming," a voice groaned. Jack looked to his left to see Miko slowly rising to her feet.

"Which part?" he asked dryly. "The one where the ground bridge malfunctioned? Or the part where we are…" he looked around. "Where are we?"

"Could it be the Nemesis?" a small voice asked timidly. Raf rose shakily to his feet, looking around nervously.

Miko scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous Raf."

"Actually," Jack interjected. "He might be right." He quickly lowered his voice as he looked around. The large, dark rooms did fit in with the Decepticon style. They always seemed to like the dim, dark colors.

The room they were in was large with operating tables and workstations holding tools. Very pointy tools. Jack swallowed nervously as he looked at the strange sharp objects. He did not want to be in the receiving end of _those!_

"We need to get out of here," Jack said firmly, grabbing Raf's hand. Before he could reach for Miko, the sliding doors nearby opened. All three children froze at the sight as a large Cybertronian lumbered in, its one optic falling on them.

"Scrap," Miko swore, quickly darting towards one of the large desks. The two boys followed after her, the large footfalls of the cybertronian right behind them. Jack quickly pushed Raf in front of him, sending the smaller boy under the table. Jack followed, only to feel something large and sharp grab his leg and drag him back.

"No!" he screamed, kicking his feet to no avail. He could hear Miko and Raf screaming for him as he was dragged out from under the table by the Decepticon. Jack grabbed onto one of the thin legs of the table, knowing that if he let go, there would be no escape.

"Hey! Cyclops!" Miko shouted, running out from under the table. "Put him down!"

The large Cybertronian kneeled down to get a better look at the girl, a growl emerging from the creature as he drew in closer.

Big mistake.

Miko did the only thing she could think of. She pepper sprayed him in the optic.

The Cybertronian jerked back, letting go of Jack in the process. Jack scrambled to his feet with Miko dragging him back under the table, the sounds of the cyclops bot screams echoing behind them.

"Oh Primus!" Raf squeaked when they joined him. "There are two now!"

Jack had no intentions of looking back to confirm what Raf said. He was too terrified to stop until they were pressed up against the wall.

"What now?" he hissed. His eyes flickered over to Miko who had her phone out. "You're taking pictures?" he demanded.

She shrugged as she held her phone out. "This might help the Bot's," she said simply.

Jack reached over and snapped her phone shut. "This is not the best time," he said. "We need to get out of here." They could still hear the two Cybertronians conversing, though not in any language he was familiar with. It was more like snarls, grunts and snarls. He shivered at the very sound, wondering what was being said.

Miko rolled her eyes as she put her phone back in her pocket. "Why don't we just crawl through that weird looking vent thingy?"

Jack and Raf turned to see that she was pointing to a small opening in the wall. Well, small for robots, but large for humans.

Jack shook his head. "We don't know where it'll go."

"It's either stay here and get caught by the Con's," she argued. "Or it's escape and live to tell the tale." Without waiting for a reply, Miko turned on her heel and went through the opening. Before the two boys could do anything, the table they were hiding under started to shake and move forward.

"They're moving the table!" Raf shouted.

"C'mon," Miko screamed, gesturing for them to run.

They needed no more encouraging. They dashed towards Miko and jumped into their new hiding space. Even then, they didn't stop running, not until they felt like they were a good distance away from the small opening.

Panting and tired, the three children leaned against the wall as silence descended on them. The silence did not last for long as Miko started to laugh. "How sick was that?" she demanded with a wide smile.

"Sick?" Jack started, glaring at her. "Really? This is all your fault!"

Miko frowned, folding her arms as she narrowed her dark eyes. "You always say that, Jack."

"Because he's right," Raf said, glaring at the older girl. "When Ratchet is working on fixing the ground bridge and tells us to stay away, what do you always do?"

"I usually do the exact opposite of what he tells me to do," Miko said. "Duh."

"Exactly!" Jack said, frustration laced in his tone. "He told us to stay away when he was testing it. But you just had to disobey him, and now look where it's gotten us."

Miko looked ready for this topic in the argument. "Why would Ratchet open a ground bridge leading to the Nemesis? And who are the two newbies the Con's hired?"

Jack frowned. "I don't know. But I'm calling Arcee." With that, he pulled out his phone before dialing his partner's number. Putting the phone to his ear, he waited, only to be meet with static. "Hello? Arcee?" he asked, with no response. He glanced at the others with a worried expression before redialing, checking to see that he put in the right numbers this time. Holding the phone to his ear, he prayed that it would be picked up. His prayers went unanswered when he was met with static again.

"Let me try," Raf said, his phone in his hands. They all waited, though Raf's sudden, panicked expression told them that his calls were not being answered.

"They might be scrambling the signals," Miko offered.

"And we can't leave the ship while it's in orbit in the sky," Jack said.

"We could find the Decepticon ground bridge and bridge ourselves home," Miko suggested.

"And attack the armed guards with what? The pencils and notebooks in Raf's backpack?" Jack asked sarcastically.

Miko scowled. "I'm just bouncing ideas off of you guys. Feel free to return the favor."

"We could just keep walking and see where this takes us," Raf suggested, gesturing to the long, dark tunnel before them.

The two older kids looked at each other, then back at where Raf was pointing. Jack shrugged. "Might as well try and find our way around."

* * *

"How long have we been walking?" Miko complained.

Jack checked his phone, which he had out as a flashlight. "Half an hour," he replied.

Miko groaned. "We're going to be stuck in here forever!"

"Think of it as an adventure," Jack wryly commented. Miko's annoyed huff brought a grin of satisfaction to his lips.

"Look! Daylight!" Miko shrieked suddenly, dashing forward. Jack looked up to see a ray of light coming through the walls up ahead.

"Miko! Miko wait!" he whisper-shouted as he grabbed the girl by the arm. "If this is the Decepticon air ducts, we need to be quite! The Con's already know we're here and there is no need to alert them where we are!"

"Stop worrying Jack," she snapped. "I haven't forgotten that."

"Uh, guys," Raf said suddenly, interrupting the two teens. "I don't think we need to worry about the Con's."

Both Jack and Miko frowned. "What do you mean?" Miko asked.

Raf gestured for them to come closer to the small opening that was blocked by small pieces of metal. Both Jack and Miko looked out, their eyes widening.

"I don't think we're on Earth anymore," Miko said in awe. Jack nodded numbly.

Buildings that were taller than even the tallest skyscrapers on earth surrounded them. They gleamed a shiny silver and grey color. The streets below were wide and long with Cybertronians traveling on them, both in vehicle form and on different transportations. Colors that the children could not name flickered on the buildings as the lights from the sky and buildings reflected on the shiny streets.

"We're on Cybertron!" Miko shrieked, shaking Raf excitedly. She gasped, "Where does Bulkhead work? Where's the construction-smashing site?" She tried to look out, but the metal bars would only let her see so much. She huffed in annoyance before a look of determination came across her features. She then ran down the air duct with the boys quickly following behind.

"How is it that we can even breathe here?" Raf gasped as they ran.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Don't forget, the Bot's were unsure if we could or couldn't breathe their atmosphere." He paused, "I guess we proved them wrong."

Miko came to a stop, looking down below her as they came to a steep incline. Jack's eyes widened before he grabbed her arm; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. The girl really needed a leash on her. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

Miko turned to look at him with a wicked grin. " 'Bout what?" Then she grabbed Raf before jumping down, dragging Jack with her.

The boys terrified screams, along with Miko's excited yelps echoed around them. The darkness closed in around them as they slid down at a terrifying speed. It was in that moment that Jack had made the decision that he was going to kill Miko.

Their screams faded to terrified yelps as they found themselves slowing down as the slid became less steep. The travel downhill soon came to a slow stop, causing them to stumble as they slid awkwardly forward. Miko was the only one who seemed to gracefully rise to her feet.

"What," Jack started slowly, his voice dangerously low. "Were you thinking?" he growled, turning to face Miko. He tried to reign his temper in, aware that getting angry would do him no good. But Miko seemed to have no personal regard for her safety, or the safety of her friends. It was that thought that irked him to no end.

"I was thinking that we needed to find a way out of here," Miko snapped back.

"What if there had been a fan below us?" Jack shouted. "We would have been cut to pieces!"

Miko stopped, her face slack. Her eyes narrowed before she averted her eyes. Jack let out a breath, knowing that that was the closest thing to an apology he would ever get from Miko. He closed his eyes, before slowly counting to ten in an effort to calm himself.

"Wow, guys!" Raf called out ahead of them. "Take a look at this!"

Jack and Miko glared at eachother before hurrying towards the smaller boy. "What is it?" Jack asked.

Raf pointed. "I found a way out."

Sure enough, there was a small, open vent that led outside. Outside, to Cybertron.

Jack hesitantly poked his head out before exiting the air shaft, the others following. They had to slide down, the ride rough and fast. At one moment, Jack thought he was going to fall off the slope. Raf and Miko bumped into him when he came to a stop, and it took them a few minutes to figure out where to stand.

He looked up, suddenly feeling very small as he gazed at the area around him. He always knew he was small compared to the Autobots. But now, on Cybertron, surrounded by so many large buildings and Cybertronians, he felt _really_ tiny.

The lights reflecting off the buildings and streets caused him to blink, but he still stared in awe.

" _This isn't how I wanted you to see my world."_ Arcee's words echoed back at him from his memories when they had traveled to Cybertron to recover Optimus's memories. He hadn't understood what she meant then. He knew their planet had been dead, but he never imagined what it would look like alive!

"I see it," he breathed out. "I see it now, partner."

The sound of a camera taking pictures pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at Miko who was taking pictures with her phone. Catching him staring at her, she shrugged. "To show Bulkhead." Jack grinned, also taking his phone out and copying her actions.

The three of them were silent for moments, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared at this active world that teamed with life and a purpose.

"We have to save them," Raf said at one point.

Knowing what Raf meant, Jack just nodded as he didn't trust himself to speak. He knew, that in saving Cybertron, they would never meet their guardians.

"It'll be worth it," Raf said, looking at him, as if reading his thoughts.

Jack swallowed. "I know." He would never forget the look of sorrow Arcee had worn when they went to Cybertron, or the hesitation in Ratchet's voice when he questioned Optimus about destroying the space bridge. But it would be worth it.

He smiled. They would save lives. He wished he could meet Cliffjumper and Tailgate. Arcee didn't really talk much about them, but when she did, it was always with a sad smile. Bumblebee would be able to speak, and Optimus and Megatron would still be friends.

"But how?" Miko asked, her tone subdued.

They both looked at Jack expectantly, and it was then Jack knew they were waiting for him to decide.

"I...I dont know," he admitted. "Maybe...we should walk around and see what we find?"

Miko frowned. "Find what?"

Jack threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know!"

"How about there?" Raf asked, pointing to a nearby tall building.

Jack frowned. "Why there?" It didn't look different from the other buildings they saw. It was tall and stout with Cybertronians going in and out.

Raf shrugged. "I don't know. It's close, and the doors are open. The way there is sheltered by shade and other objects, so no one will spot us or step on us."

Miko shrugged. "It's a start at least."

"Plus, we will need to head inside at some point," Raf said.

Jack blinked. "Why?"

Raf pointed up at the sky. "It looks like it'll rain."

All three children knew how dangerous acid rain could be to Cybertronians, and they did not want to find out what it did to fleshy humans.

Jack looked up at the steep slope they would have to climb to get back in the vents, and he knew it would be dangerous. Best to hurry and try to get in the large building with open doors.

* * *

"Almost...there!" Miko panted. She really _really_ wished she was 'Bot sized now. What would have taken a Cybertronian a few minutes to get to the building took the kids more than half an hour.

So it was with great relief when they came to the building. The only problem was…

"Stairs!" Miko exclaimed in horror.

"I...did not think about that," Raf admitted.

Miko groaned. No, no, no! How were they going to climb that? They were near the corner of the building and well hidden in the shadows. No Cybertronian would see them unless they stopped and knew where to look.

"Alright Miko," Jack said, getting on his knees. "Get on my back."

Miko frowned, knowing what he was thinking. She sighed, placing her foot on Jack's back. Jack used the large stair to brace himself with the sudden weight of the girl while Miko got into position. " 'Kay Raf," she said. "Your turn."

The smaller boy adjusted his glasses before stepping forward and grabbing Miko's hand. Jack grunted and continued to lean on the wall of the step for support, his legs shaking. With both kids on Jack, Miko wrapped her arms around Raf's waist and hoisted him up. Raf barely managed to grasp the edge of the stairs, but with a boost from Miko and Jack, he was able to hoist himself over. He then reached his hand down to pull Miko up, with Jack pushing her. Though it left Miko dangling at the edge. So Jack had to grab her legs and push her up, but that ended with Miko accidentally kicking him in the face when she slipped. Miko would then lean over with Raf holding her belt as she helped pull Jack up.

They repeated this for the next three stiars. By the fourth stair, they were all out of breath.

"I can't go on," Miko said, her chest heaving as she breathed. She felt hot and sweaty, and she could only imagine how the two boys felt, who were both wearing long sleeves. What kind of people wore heavy long sleeves in the desert anyway?

Jack looked up at the quickly darkening sky. "We can't stop."

Miko looked up at the looming stairs with a growing sense of dread. The acid rain was coming and they were still no closer to finding shelter. "We won't make it-"

"Miko look out!" Raf screamed suddenly, his voice jolting her into action.

Too late.

Miko felt slim servos gently grab and lift her up. "Hey! Wait! Put me down!" She kicked and squirmed to no avail. She could see another, larger Cybertronian grab Jack and reach for Raf, who kicked at the servo before getting caught. Miko had to give him points for fighting back though. Good boy! Bee would be so proud.

The thought of the Autobots caused Miko to frown. She was a Wrecker! Bulkhead said so! Who did this 'Bot think it was?

She twisted her head to glare at the Cybertronian who was holding her captive. "Now look here," she hissed. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

The Cybertronian blinked, cocking its head. "I'm going to unleash some damage," Miko threatened fiercely.

This had no effect as the Cybertronian turned and followed its friend down the stairs. Miko looked back at the building as they descended the stairs. They did not just spend hours climbing up the stairs, only to be stopped by two idiots! She looked back at her two friends who were being carried in the larger Cybertronians servos. Sudden dread filled Miko. How she wished Bulkhead was with her!


	2. Chapter 2

Raf looked around, his eyes wide with panic. Beside him, Jack was struggling to get to his feet, though it was a bit difficult to balance in the moving servos of a giant robot.

Okay, it was really difficult to do anything.

The large Cybertronian held them in his servos; Raf assumed it was a 'he'. The Cybertronians servos were cupped, shielding the two children and preventing them from falling. So as terrified as Raf was, he had a feeling that the Cybertronians were not going to hurt them.

He could hear Miko shouting and screaming threats at the other Cybertronian. Raf guessed Miko's captive was female, since her armor coloring was a rosy pink, and her frame was curvy. That's what led Raf to believe that the one holding him and Jack was a male, since he had a larger, broad frame with bright red coloring.

After getting over his fright, Raf felt himself relaxing. The soothing, slow pace of the giant holding them was calm. The servos holding and covering him was surprisingly warm. He had been held before by Bumblebee and the others, but never like this. He was aware that the Cybertronians were walking slower so as not to hurt or startle them.

Raf managed to grab onto one of the large fingers of the Bot, and he hoisted himself up. Peeking up, he looked into the warm, blue optics of his captor. Or rescuer? Raf wasn't to certain about the status of these beings now.

A startled yelp caused the red mech to turn and look at his pink companion, who was glaring at Miko. The human girl's hands were balled into fists, and she was looking very annoyed right now. The red mech chirped at the pink femme, who rapidly shot out a bunch of words Raf was unfamiliar with. His eyes widened in excitement. They were speaking Cybertronian! He recognized the sound from the way the Autobots would sometimes speak to each other. Then he grew concerned. Just what were they saying? Were they talking about Miko? Possibly, considering the fact that they were both looking at the human girl.

The red mech said something before gently disposing both Jack and Raf in the pink femme's open servos. Raf tumbled forward, only to be stopped by a slim, silver servo. Then, to his amazement, the pink femme gently stroked him. Raf felt himself blush as the femme began to purr softly, looking at him with wide, blue optics.

"I think she likes you," Jack joked.

"Well she's not going to like me," Miko said, who was now being held by the red mech. "What are you looking at?" she demanded as she was held up. The red Cybertronian brought her closer to his face, squinting his optics as he looked at her. Miko, not liking how close she was to his face, kicked him right in the optic. The mech jerked back with a startled yelp, his servo rubbing his optic while still holding onto Miko in the other.

The femme let out a startled gasp, rushing forward. Raf and Jack bounced around in her tight grip, both suddenly nervous at the lack of protection. The two Cybertronians conversed very rapidly, though the red mech sounded more amused than angry. The same could not be said for the pink femme, who handed Jack and Raf over to the surprised mech. She then took Miko, who was still in a bad mood.

"What?" she demanded. "You going to correct me?" Which seemed likely, since the pink femme was shaking a finger at Miko. The girl huffed, trying to turn her back on the femme who frowned before lifting Miko in the air, holding onto the girl with two fingers. Miko was turned over, before thumped firmly on the back. Miko let out a yelp, more out of surprise them pain. She looked back at the frowning femme.

"Did you…" she stuttered. "Did you just spank me?" She looked at Jack and Raf who were both staring, their mouths open in shock. "I can not believe I was spanked by a Cybertronian!"

"Neither can I," Jack muttered, trying to contain his chuckle. Miko glared at him, promising revenge in the future for daring to laugh at her.

The two Cybertronians resumed their walk. This time, the red mech loosened his servos, allowing Jack and Raf to see outside. They stared in awe at the buildings they passed and the interesting Bots that walked by. Soon, the streets thinned out until they approached, what Raf assumed, were apartment buildings. The red mech shifted his hold on the two boys, freeing his one servo before punching in a series of codes. The door slid forward, allowing them to enter inside. Raf looked back to see the pink femme hurry in. Raf also noticed the darkening acid rain clouds in the sky. He shuddered, glad to be indoors, even with two strange Bot's.

The hallway was wide and light with a series of doors. So, Raf had guessed right, it was an apartment of some sorts. Near the end of the hallway, the red mech stopped before entering another series of codes.

Upon entering the room, Raf was surprised to find it small. There was very little furniture, and what furniture there was held neatly stacked data pads.

The red mech gently put Raf and Jack down on what resembled a table. Miko was then gently dumped next to them. "You alright?" Jack asked them, concerned.

"My butt's still sore," Miko complained, rubbing her backside from the recent spanking.

Raf ignored them, his attention fixed on the two Cybertronians who were arguing. The pink femme was stepping outside the apartment room, with the red mech holding her arm, gesturing outside worriedly. The pink femme answered back to the red mech's worried replies, her expression calm. She laid a gentle servo on his cheek before hurriedly leaving. The red mech watched her leave, his expression worried. He reluctantly turned back inside, looking back at Raf who was gazing at him with understanding.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Raf found himself saying. He had a vague feeling what they had been arguing about. The acid rain was approaching fast, and if Raf had to guess, the red mech did not want the pink femme out there right now when she could be caught in the dangerous storm.

"I'm hungry," Miko announced suddenly, drawing Raf out of his thoughts.

Jack looked up, his expression panicked. "We have no food, or water!" he stated.

Raf swallowed nervously. They just might die of thirst before they could even get a chance to warn the Bot's. The he remembered something. Slipping his backpack off from his shoulders, he opened it up to reveal his notebooks, laptop, and pencils. Taking all those things out, he pulled out a small water bottle and a bag of half-eaten crackers.

Jack frowned at the meager supplies. "It'll have to do if we can limit what we eat."

Miko examined the bag of crackers. "Let's be honest, this won't last us a day."

"It's something!" Jack argued.

Raf rolled his eyes. There they go again. It seemed like Miko and Jack were always arguing over everything these days. But, that just might be their way of expressing their concern in this situation. Raf happened to look up to see the red mech watching them, his helm tilted.

"Has he been like that all this time?" Miko whispered nervously. "That's creepy."

"Can we communicate with them?" Jack asked, looking at Raf.

Raf shook his head. "The way I communicate with Bee is different. This," he gestured to the red Bot. "Is actual Cybertronian language."

"Is any of it familiar to you?" Jack asked.

"I can swear in Cybertronian," Miko offered. "Wheeljack taught me." Then, before the two boys could stop her, Miko opened her mouth and let out a string of curses that sounded more like snarls and grunts then actual words.

The red mech's helm shot up, his optics widening in horror. He quickly reached over and swatted Miko on the head, sending her stumbling back with a yelp.

"Alright Big Red," she grumbled, rubbing where she had been hit. "Don't put a bar of soap in my mouth."

"Can we communicate with them that doesn't involve swearing?" Jack hissed, his face red with embarrassment.

"Does Bulkhead know what Wheeljack's been teaching you?" Raf asked. His eyes flickered over to Big Red, who was watching them with narrowed optects. "He's probably wondering how we know some of his language."

The three kids fell silent, each trying to come up with a plan. Miko's eyes drifted over to Raf's notepad, her eyes lighting up. "I could draw pictures!" she exclaimed.

Both boys stared at her in confusion. "What?"

Miko was up and bouncing excitedly. "I could draw pictures using Raf's notebook and pencil. We can communicate with pictures!"

A broad smile came across Jack's features. "Brilliant!"

Raf excitedly opened up his computer. "I can also figure out how Bee spoke to me, and put it through my computer!"

By this time, all the kids were chattering excitedly, and they failed to notice Big Red coming forward with a clear box. It was Jack who saw the Cybertronian approaching, and it was Jack who quickly pushed the younger kids behind him. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

Big Red smiled softly in an attempt to look non threatening, but it wasn't working. He gently reached over and scooped Miko up.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Put me down! Remember last time? And this time Rosy ain't here to correct me." Big Red, however, seemed unfazed and gently placed her in the box. Raf and Jack followed next. Big Red then scooped up their supplies and put their stuff in the box with them.

Miko kicked the see-through box, the sound of her foot hitting the clear object letting out a dull 'thud.' "Perfect," she grumbled.

"He probably doesn't want us to get hurt," Raf said in quick defense.

"It doesn't matter," Jack said. "He gave us our stuff, so there's nothing preventing us from working on communicating with them."

Raf nodded and powered on his computer. He paused, glancing at Miko who was also looking at him with confusion. "Uhhh, what would we say?"

"Yeah," Miko agreed. "We can't just say, 'Your planet is going to die and there will be a Civil War between you guys unless you stop a dude called Megatron.' " She paused. "That'll totally go over well."

Jack hummed thoughtfully. "Then we will have to think this through once we figure out how to communicate with them." He glanced over at Big Red, who was going through some data pads. Occasionally, he would shoot them glances of concern, before going back to his work.

Now that Raf had a moment to sit down, he got the chance to look around their temporary home. It was small, but there was a series of openings leading to other rooms. There wasn't much furniture, as it seemed that there was no need for much. Big Red seemed like a simple being who was content where he was.

The only sound in the box was Raf's typing, Miko's scribbling, and Jack's pacing. But all that was shattered when there was a loud 'boom' from outside. All three kids jumped at the sound, each shooting the other terrified glances.

"Wh-what was that?" Miko asked.

"Thunder?" Jack offered helpfully. Another loud noise caused them to cringe, but now that they had an idea of what the noise was, it took the fear out of it. Raf could see Big Red glance at them with a knowing look. Rising from his seat, the mech picked up the box and set it near, what Raf assumed, was his work station. He was proven right when Big Red sat down and started working again on the large screen in front of him.

Raf positioned himself in the box to where he could see Big Red across from him. The large Cybertronian caught him staring and smiled at him. Raf found himself smiling back.

"How old is Bumblebee?" Jack asked suddenly.

Raf stopped his typing. "What?"

"Arcee's older than Bee, right?" Jack asked.

Raf blinked, confused. "Uh, I think so. Why?"

He shrugged. "It's just, you and I tried to contact Bumblebee and Arcee, but we don't know what timeline we are in." At Raf's confused frown, Jack continued. "So we don't know if Bee and Arcee are born yet, which would make contacting them impossible. But Bulkhead is older than Arcee," he said, looking at Miko.

Miko jumped up. "I'll call him!"

"Why don't we call Optimus or Ratchet?" Jack suggested. "They're older than everyone else and actually being able to reach them seems likely."

"But what would we say to them?" Raf asked. "They don't know us, and we don't speak their language."

Miko ignored him, quickly dialing a number. Putting the phone on speaker so the others could hear, she waited before speaking up. "Yo, Doc Bot! What's-" A sudden, static shriek came through her phone, causing Miko to winch and shut her phone quickly. "Well, there goes that idea."

"But it was different from Bee and Arcee," Jack pointed out.

Miko huffed. "So...all we need to do is try and find Ratchet. Shouldn't be to hard. We've only got it narrowed down to the whole planet!"

Raf groaned, banging his head against the glass wall as Miko and Jack's bickering filled the space. He really really wished Bumblebee was with him right now.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack stopped his pacing when he heard Raf letting out a frustrated groan. He turned to see the younger boy typing on his computer. "What's wrong?" Jack asked. Though he didn't want anything to be wrong, he still wanted to be of use. Pacing around while doing nothing only increased his impatience and worry.

"No connection," Raf grumbled. "Which means I can't get into the internet."

"Which means you can't do any science-stuff," Miko said, looking up. "Which means no communication with the Bot's."

"I'm not giving up," Raf said, hunching over his computer with a determined frown. "There has to be something I can do around here."

With that, the box fell silent...again. Jack resumed his pacing, worry knotting in his stomach. Did the Autobots know they were missing? What about his mom? Knowing her, she was probably worried sick. Or did their time-line cease to exist now that they were here?

He looked back at his two friends, who were lost in their own projects. If they did change the future, would he ever meet them again? The Autobots were the ones to bring them all together in the first place. If it weren't for Arcee, Jack would never have meet Miko and Raf. Well, it was hard to miss Miko at school, the girl was loud and obnoxious at times. Before, Jack wouldn't have had anything to do with her. Raf had been a passing face in the school hallways.

He sighed. Yes, the Autobots had been the ones to bring them together, but they had also been the ones to strengthen the friendship between the three humans.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. It was worth it, he told himself. It's worth it. For Cybertron to be at peace, for its citizens to live, for families to remain together and not torn apart by war. He wondered what Arcee would have been like before the war. Would she have been a girly-girl? With pink coloring? He smirked at the idea. Probably not, considering her character.

Jack looked up and his gaze traveled to Miko who was drawing. He frowned when he noticed a bruise forming on her face. "Miko, what happened to your face?"

Miko stopped, looking up with a scowl. "What do you mean?"

"It's bruised," he said, coming over and kneeling down right next to her. "Was that from when Big Red hit you?"

Miko lightly touched the big, purple bruise, wincing. "Yeah, I guess so. He probably didn't mean to hit me that hard."

Jack nodded. "I know, but you should get some ice on that."

Miko snorted in amusement. "And where would we get the ice?"

"Big Red might know," he replied back as he started banging on the glass box. "Hey! Sir! Can you help us?"

"Jeez Jack, it's fine," Miko said. She poked at the bruise, trying to hide her winch. "It didn't hurt until you pointed it out."

Jack's banging caught Big Red's attention, causing the Cybertronian to look into the box. He frowned when Jack pointed at Miko's cheek. Reaching in, Big Red lifted Miko up, despite her protests. Gazing at Miko, he gently rubbed her head, much to the girl's annoyance.

"Seriously?" Miko demanded when she was put back down.

"Well, that obviously didn't wo-Hey!" Jack exclaimed as he was picked up. "Um, what are you doing?" he asked as he was suddenly examined by Big Red.

More loud thunder came from outside, and this time, it happened so suddenly that it startled Jack. He jumped, looking around fearfully. To his surprise, Big Red brought him close to his spark-chamber. The soft, warm thrum of the spark within soothed Jack, causing him to relax. He barely noticed it when Big Red sat back down and began to do...whatever it was he was doing. Taking a quick glance at the big screen, Jack had to assume he was working.

Big Red looked down at Jack and rumbled something in Cybertronian. Jack frowned regretfully and shook his head. "I wish I could understand you," he said with a sigh.

Big Red fell silent and allowed Jack to make himself comfortable. If Jack stretched himself, he would find his feet just dangling over Big Red's servo. He soon found himself leaning against Big Red's chassis while the Cybertronian went back to work. Jack looked over at the big screen, watching as Big Red arranged the strange scribbles and type in weird figures.

Jack whistled in admiration. "Looks complicated." He looked up at Big Red. "You and Raf would get along really well."

They stayed like that for a while, and Big Red would occasionally shift his servo, which would jolt Jack awake. The warm, soothing beat of Big Red's spark lulled him into relaxation. The pelting rain and rumble of thunder however, kept sleep away. Along with his troubled thoughts and worries for the future, his future, kept his brain jumbled.

At one point, Big Red placed Jack back in with his friends before picking up the glass box and heading into, what Jack assumed, was a berth room. Again, like the rest of the house, it was simple, with only one large berth and a few simple desks. Big Red placed the glass box containing the children on the desk closest to the berth.

"Is it night time already?" Miko demanded, looking up.

"I guess," Jack said, watching as Big Red left the room. Truth be told, he felt really tired too. The day's events were really starting to take a toll on him and his body was already complaining from the failed attempts of climbing the stairs.

"Any luck with your pictures?" he asked, sitting next to Miko.

She nodded. "I've decided to draw Earth and the space bridge, so that they at least have an idea of where we are from."

Jack nodded. "How about you, Raf?" he asked.

The younger boy shook his head. "I can't do much of anything," he complained.

"Well…" Jack started, feeling his hopes slip away. Raf's idea of communicating through the computer had a higher success of getting their message through. "We can try again tomorrow," he suggested.

Raf shrugged as he shut his computer. "Yeah, I guess." Though there was disappointment in his expression.

Big Red soon came back. In his servos, he carried strange, soft looking objects. Reaching into the glass box, he scooped up the kids one at a time. This time, Miko did not protest.

Jack watched with interest as Big Red laid out the weird, soft stuff. A few more objects were placed into the box before Jack, Miko and Raf were placed back in.

"What is this stuff?" Miko asked, poking at the weird, white things. "They're soft!"

"I guess we're supposed to sleep on them," Raf suggested, plopping down on the soft fabrics that were scattered around.

"I wonder what that is for," Jack said, pointing to a thin piece of what appeared to be paper. It was oddly colored and was shoved into a corner of the box.

Miko wrinkled her nose as she looked at it. "It reminds me of the wee-wee pads for animals." Then her eyes widened. "I think that's for us to use when we...go to the bathroom?"

Both boys recoiled in disgust. "Great," Miko muttered suddenly, crossing her legs. "Now I have to go."

Big Red shuffled around the room, before turning to look back at the children with a smile. He then dimmed the lighting. Thanks to the soft glow of Big Red's optics, Jack could see the Cybertronian settle down on his berth before falling into recharge. With nothing else to do, Jack settled in on the fluffy cotton looking blankets. To his surprise, the stuff was firm, yet soft. Closing his eyes, Jack fell into a troubled sleep, worries plaguing his mind.

* * *

Jack awoke with a jolt, again. Looking around, he noticed that he wasn't in his room, but in a glass box. Where was he? Did the Con's get him?

Then a rush of memories overcame him, and the reality of the situation he was in crashed down on him. In one moment, he felt overwhelmed and just wanted to fall asleep once again.

Groaning, he shuffled off of the soft fabrics that Big Red had provided them with. Glancing over, he was surprised to see that Miko was already up and drawing.

He blinked. "Miko? How long have you been up?"

The girl shrugged. "Not long," she answered, not bothering to look up from her drawing.

Jack looked up to see Big Red coming forward. He smiled gently at Jack before lifting the box up carefully.

"What is he doing?" Miko demanded as she slid back from the sudden shift.

Jack shushed her, shooting a glance at the still slumbering Raf. The two teens managed to catch their balance and watch as Big Red left the apartment building and entered the now busy streets.

"How can Raf sleep through all this?" Miko asked as she stumbled forward. Jack was just gripping onto the blankets, which helped to keep his balance.

"I'm awake," Raf mumbled sleepily. "I just don't want to get up."

"Well, get up sleepy-head," Miko said, tapping Raf on the head. "We need to be awake and alert."

Raf groaned, rolling over. Rubbing his eyes, he adjusted his glasses. "Why do we need to be alert?"

"We don't know where Big Red is taking us," she answered, stumbling back when Big Red turned sharply to cross a street.

"I doubt he's going to hurt us," Jack said.

"You don't know that," Miko replied. "He could be taking us to some diner where they serve human children!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Do you really believe that?"

She shrugged. "Anything is possible. We don't know who he is."

Jack rubbed his forehead tiredly. "You've been watching way too many sci-fi movies with Bulkhead."

"Survival of the fittest it is then," Miko said grimly. "Besides, didn't we use to think giant alien robots who transform into cars as nothing but sci-fi?"

"She's got a point," Raf said.

"Don't encourage her," Jack sighed. "Please, just...don't."

After a few moments of silence in the box, Raf spoke up. "Anyone thirsty?"

Jack looked and saw Raf holding out the water bottle. He grimaced. Yes, he was thirsty, but not to the point where he needed water. Apparently, his friends had the same idea.

"I'm good," Miko said. Raf shrugged, putting the water back in his backpack. The sudden seriousness of the situation they were in descended down on them. They might just die from thirst before even getting a clear message the the Cybertronians.

Big Red soon approached the very same building that the children had tried to enter before. Only this time, the trip up the stairs took less then ten seconds. Jack blinked as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim lighting. Outside had been bright, if a little cloudy. But inside the building, it was illuminated by blue and yellow lights, along with the lighting from the many computer screens.

Big Red signed in at what appeared to be the front desk, before placing the children on that very same desk.

"Oh joy," Miko exclaimed. "It's Rosy."

Sure enough, at the front desk was the same pink femme who had found them the other day. She chirped happily, looking at the children with great fondness in her optics. Big Red said something that sounded like teasing, which earned him a playful nudge from the femme. Jack raised an eyebrow, watching the two Bot's interact. They were obviously pleased to see each other, and were on a personal level that spoke of a strong friendship.

Big Red glanced down at the box, saying something to the kids, which sounded encouraging, if Jack could guess by the tone in his voice, before leaving. Jack watched Big Red enter through a large doorway before disappearing from view.

"He ditched us," Miko said, matter-of-factly.

"At least he left us with Rosy," Raf said.

"Yeah, but I'm not on the best of terms with her," she said, glaring at the pink femme who was typing away on her computer. "My butt is still sore from the spanking."

"You still have that bruise Big Red gave you," Jack pointed out.

Miko rubbed the spot where the purple bruise was, wincing as she did so. "Yeah, well. Spanking just seemed...seemed so wrong! I'm too old to be spanked."

"What do you suppose this place is?" Raf asked, changing the subject.

Miko shrugged. "Probably where they work. I don't know."

Jack had to agree that it did look like a place where Cybertronians would work. There were Bot's on what he could describe as computer screens, while others carried data-pads on hovering carts.

"Looks like a library," he commented.

Again, silence descended down on them. Miko went back to her drawings, Raf went back to fiddling with his computer while Jack just stood around and watched Rosy work. Occasionally, the femme would glance over at the box near her side. Catching Jack watching her, she smiled down at him. Jack found himself smiling back.

"Man, I stink," Miko said at one point, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"We all do," Jack answered, looking away from Rosy.

"We are also bored if we're talking about our body odor," Raf commented without looking up from his computer.

Miko sighed. "It's so sad that we have been reduced to this state."

Jack noticed Raf's tired look, and the occasional glance the boy would give his backpack.

"Everyone," Jack said suddenly, striding towards Raf and opening the backpack. "Take a drink."

"But we need to save what we have!" Miko protested.

"When was the last time you had a drink?" Jack demanded. "When was the last time any of us did?"

That stopped any weak protests that were ready to burst forth. Miko grudgingly took the water bottle after Raf took a drink. Jack took a small sip once it was his turn before placing the bottle back in the backpack.

"You didn't even drink much," Raf pointed out, concerned.

He shrugged. "I'm not too thirsty."

"We weren't either, yet you forced us to drink," Miko said. "You're no use to us if you pass out from lack of water."

"Guy's, really, it's fine," Jack said, holding his hands out in self-defense. "I don't need it."

"No, it's not," Miko argued. "We need you-"

"What do you need me for?" Jack demanded. "I'm not the tech genius, I'm not the one drawing messages or coming up with ideas. I'm not as important as you guys are to the Bot's."

Miko and Raf looked at each other at a loss, but the confusion only lasted for a moment. "You're important to the Bot's," Raf said.

"On Earth, maybe. But I'm not doing anything right now that will help save Cybertron," Jack said. "And this is not me questioning my worth," he said hastily, cutting Miko off. "This is what is best for you two, and for Cybertron."

"But what if we fail?" Miko said. "What if they don't know what my drawings mean? What if Raf can't figure out how to work his computer? We need you to...I don't know! Do what you always do. Come up with a plan to get us out of this mess."

"That's the thing," Jack said in desperation. "I don't know what to do if this fails! I don't know what's going to happen." He sunk down to the floor numbly. "I just...I don't know."

Raf looked up at Miko before getting up to sit next to Jack. "We'll figure it out," he said. "We always do."

"Yeah," Miko encouraged. "It's us! Not even Unicron himself could stop us from saving the universe."

Jack laughed weakly. "Don't jinx it. I'm not sure we could handle Unicron without a Prime."

Miko smirked. "Bring it on then. We faced him before. We can do it again!"

"The Autobot's were the ones to face him," Raf pointed out.

Miko huffed. "Well, yeah. But that's because Ratchet wouldn't let us help out." She folded her arms. "Which was totally not fair since Megatron got to help."

"But the Autobot's had everything under control without us," Jack said. They always did. He had never seen Optimus uncertain of anything. Or Arcee. Well, except for that one time when Airachnid showed up on earth for the first time. But even then, the motorcycle femme had come out on top. She always did, and she always seemed to know how to handle a situation and what to do.

He sighed, resting his head on his knees. He wished she was with him right now. He wished she was here to give him advice and point him in the right direction, like his mom would do too. He wished for so many things. But more importantly, he wished Arcee was with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thank you so much for reviewing! Please keep them coming. Also, see if you can guess who the Cybertronians the kids meet are. I have already gotten some good guesses, but I will not comment on them until the story is completed. With that said, enjoy the story!**

 **BTW, there will be some Cybertronian language, though some of it is what I have come up with. The rest is thanks to fanfiction author Ardent Aspen, who has given me some ideas and has given me permission to use their idea for a few words. Thanks a bunch! Happy New Year!**

* * *

Raf resisted the urge to hit his computer in frustration. He was failing at the one thing that should have been easy! Well...easy for him at least. But, if he wanted to make himself feel better, they were no longer on Earth, which meant no WIFI, which meant no computer access. That alone would make it harder for him to access the internet.

Still, that didn't make him feel any better. But, on the plus side, he had managed to figure out how to pull up his pictures. But unless Big Red and Rosy knew the Autobots the children were familiar with, they were out of luck.

That caused Raf to pause. What if they had already seen their guardians? What if they had passed them by? Granted, the Autobot's probably looked different, and they had already decided that Arcee and Bumblebee weren't even born yet. But that left Optimus, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Wheeljack.

Raf pulled out one of his smaller notebooks before writing down what he knew of the Autobot's. He tapped his pencil on the notepad, gathering his thoughts.

Optimus was known as Orion Pax and was an archivist before the war. Ratchet had said he was a lot like Jack. That caused Raf to frown. Like Jack in what way? Was he quiet, responsible? Did he have a mother but no father in his life? Raf decided to come to that later, though he did add noble and caring to the list of Optimus's traits.

Then there was Ratchet, the medic. Obviously, he was a doctor here on Cybertron. Given from what Raf had heard, he had known Optimus before the war. So finding one would mean finding the other. Problem was, they needed to find the one, or the other.

Bulkhead was, as Miko had said once, like a construction worker who would 'beat the scrap out of stuff.' That didn't help much, and Raf knew even less about Wheeljack.

Raf chewed his dry lips, deep in thought. Looking at his list, he saw that he had more questions then answers. Growling in frustration, which was unusual for him, he slammed his notebook shut. Jack and Miko didn't notice his unusual behavior, which he was glad for. But it did concern him. Jack was usually the more observant out of the two teens, and his sudden lack of interest worried Raf. The way the black-haired teen was just gazing out the glass box with tired eyes, the dark circles on his face left Raf with a knot of worry in his stomach.

Sudden movement to his left caught his attention, and he turned to see Rosy swivel in her chair, a look of excitement on her features.

At first, Raf was startled, but then he relaxed when he realized the femme meant him no harm. In fact, an amusing thought came to his mind.

"You're bored," he said to her.

"What?" Miko asked, looking up.

"Rosy," he answered, getting up. "She's bored with her work. I think." The sudden change of movement for him caused Raf to blink as he suddenly found himself dizzy. That was bad. Really, really bad. The sudden lack of water and food should not be affecting him now! But then again, they had traveled through air-vents and tried to climb up big stairs. But, to his relief, the dizziness passed as quickly as it had arrived.

Placing his hands on the glass, he looked up at Rosy with a smile on his face. Rosy beamed, leaning down so she was looking directly at him. She traced her one finger where Raf's were, tapping the glass lightly. She cooed at him, causing Raf to laugh.

"I'm not a baby," he protested. "Stop making that noise."

Then, to his surprise, Rosy reached in and gently scooped him up. He soon found himself on his back, being cradled by Rosy. It took him a moment to figure out he was being held like a baby. A really small baby, but a baby nevertheless, and the thought irked him.

However, his annoyance was soon dashed away when he felt the soothing warmth of Rosy's spark as she held him close. Raf blinked, suddenly feeling very tired. The sense of protection, and fondness came over him in waves. He realized the warmth was not coming from him, but from Rosy.

He sighed, turning over on his side so that he was closer to the warm thrum of her spark. Rosy crooned, shifting so that he was more comfortable before settling back down in her chair.

"Melchnie," the voice said, startling him.

He looked up at Rosy. "What?"

"Melchnie," she repeated, her voice light, yet full of meaning. She said it with such certainty and declaration that Raf was wondering how important that word meant. Rosy repeated the word, as if testing it, before nodding to herself. "Melchnie," she said, tickling him under the chin as she did.

Raf had to wonder, just what did that word mean? It was certainly important to Rosy, and she had said it to him, and he could actually put it to word, or as best as he could.

He pushed the thought away, deciding to come back to it later, when he had a clear mind. Looking over at the powered up screen, Raf leaned over to watch the strange Cybertronian text.

"That looks familiar," he said. "I've seen Ratchet use it back at base."

Rosy cocked her head, listening to him speak, even though she obviously didn't know what he was talking about.

"Are you…" he trailed off. "Doing research?" It certainly looked like it. Optimus and Ratchet would sometimes let him watch them work on decoding the Iacon database. Some would think it boring, but Raf found it interesting. Optimus had even explained a few of the more common words in Cybertronian.

A memory came back to him. It was a memory that had always been in the back of his mind. But it came to the surface now, ready to be viewed.

 _"What about you names?" Raf had asked._

 _Optimus had looked at him with amusement. "Our names?" he asked._

 _Raf nodded. "What do your names look like in Cybertronian?"_

 _Optimus smiled, before putting his large servo down for Raf to climb on. Holding Raf up, he went to a different screen on the advanced computer before showing him the translation. "This is my name," Optimus said. "Though, it will be next to impossible for you to say it in your language."_

 _Raf nodded in understanding, eyes staring at the symbol and memorizing it. "At least I will be able to recognize it."_

 _Optimus looked at him. "And why would you want to recognize our names?"_

 _Raf shrugged. "I...I just do. You all mean so much to me, and we are supposed to be showing you the ways of humanity. But how can we teach you if you don't teach us your ways?"_

 _Optimus had fallen silent for a moment before smiling softly. "Then I will start you off with the basics."_

Raf smiled at the memory. That had been a week before all this had happened. Ratchet had come in to see Optimus speaking a few Cybertronian dialects, and Raf would repeat them back. Naturally, the doctor had gotten pulled into the lesson, excited to help. Though he had tried to hide his enthusiasm.

"What's your name?" he asked Rosy, knowing she would not be able to answer back. But he felt like he had to ask. A Cybertronian's name meant something to them. It described who they were, and their personalities.

Rosy suddenly looked back, and Raf felt a spike of fear run through him. He wasn't sure if it was from him, or from Rosy. But either way, it couldn't be good. Rosy mumbled something in Cybertronian, and it took Raf a moment to realize that she was talking through a comm link. Her tone was urgent and swift as she spoke and her whole body went stiff.

Reaching out to touch her, Raf looked up at her with worried eyes. "What's wrong?"

Rosy looked down at him, a reassuring look on her face-plates. Raf frowned. "I'm not fooled by that. Bumblebee has tried to do same thing on me and it never works. What's wrong?"

Instead of offering an answer, Rosy slid out of her chair while still cradling Raf. Clicked chirps escaped from Rosy's mouth, until a small, silver mech looked up from the data pads he had been reading. The mech had not been seated far from them, and he did not seem surprised to see Rosy. He came over, his stance relaxed.

Raf listened to the conversation between the two Cybertronians. Rosy's words were rushed and worried, while the silver mech looked calm. Yet Raf saw the nervous twitch in his shoulders, and the way his optics began scanning his surroundings.

Raf soon found himself put back in the box. "Whoa, wait," Miko said as Rosy picked up the box and subtly rushed out of the building. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Raf replied, trying to regain his balance. He noticed that the silver mech was following Rosy, which would have concerned Raf. But Rosy seemed to be aware of his presence.

Rosy stopped suddenly, looking at the silver mech before asking something. In response, the sliver mech gently gripped her arm, guiding her to a nearby small building. Rosy stopped, gesturing to the children, her tone firm. The silver mech sighed, changing his direction before going to a smaller, almost shabby looking building.

"I don't like this," Miko muttered, closing her notebook and getting up.

"Me neither," Jack said, bracing himself. "Something's wrong."

"She's scared," Raf supplied. He frowned. "More like she's nervous."

"What could she be nervous about?" Miko asked. The two younger kids looked at Jack, who only shook his head.

"I'm not sure. But if a Cybertronian is scared, then we should be too," he said. He held up a hand at the panicked looks. "That doesn't mean that we should lose our heads. We just need to remain alert."

Entering the building, Raf found it to have dim lighting with questionable looking Cybertronians inside. It looked like a bar, with small tables and large booths on the walls. The silver mech dragged Rosy to a booth in the back. Rosy placed the box down on the booth before sliding in. The way she was seated, Raf had to guess that she was trying to shield the children.

A large mech came forward, carrying what appeared to be two drinks. The small, silver mech took his, while Rosy nervously fingered her cup.

"Do you think it has something to do with Big Red?" Miko whispered. It was an unspoken agreement between the three of them that it would be best to keep their voices down and draw less attention to themselves.

"We're about to find out," Jack said, pointing. Raf looked up to see Big Red coming forward, his optics scanning the area around him. He quickly strode towards them when he saw Rosy, who had left her seat to catch his attention. Placing his servos on Rosy's hips, he looked at her worriedly. Raf couldn't hear, but by their expression's, they were obviously relieved to see each other.

The silver mech rolled his optics, before dragging a surprised Big Red into the booth next to him. Raf couldn't keep the grin from his face, noting the obvious size difference between the two mechs. Rosy huffed before sliding into her side of the booth, her servo resting on the glass box. She sent the children a look, as if reassuring herself that they were still there.

"Ugh!" Miko complained. "The suspense is killing me!"

"Bad choice of words," Jack hissed.

"Well it is!" she exclaimed. "I mean, what are they even saying?" She pointed to the three Cybertronians who were conversing in hushed tones. Big Red and Rosy looked worried while the silver mech looked like he was deep in thought.

Raf felt his stomach growl, startling him. Jack and Miko looked at him, causing Raf to blush. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine," Jack assured. "And you're not the only one who's hungry." With that, he opened Raf's backpack, drawing out the crackers. They all sat down in a circle, with Jack pacing the small bag of crackers around. As Raf nibbled on his food, he looked up to see Rosy looking down curiously. She then started chattering quickly to Big Red, who leaned over the table to look at the children.

"Are they seriously going to watch us eat?" Miko demanded, turning around so her back was to the Cybertronians.

Raf shrugged. To be honest, it didn't bother him. What did bother him was the urgent expressions on the Cybertronians faces.

The silver mech nudged at Big Red to slid out of the booth. Rosy picked up the box before sliding out as well, her drink untouched. Big Red held out his servos, as if to take the box. But Rosy shook her helm, holding the box close. Big Red shrugged before gesturing the pink femme forward. Rosy followed the small, silver mech with Big Red right behind her.

Raf's concern was increased when he noticed they were heading out through the back. The silver mech looked around before stepping out in the small, dark alleyway. The three Cybertronians paces quickened as they broke out into a jog, causing the three children to get jostled around. Raf's stomach did flips, and he then realized that the box had no lid on it. Which meant it would be way too easy for Rosy to trip and accidentally cause one of them to fall out.

"This is ridiculous!" Miko exclaimed as she slammed into one side of the box. The white cotton stuff was everywhere, and Raf soon found himself buried underneath the stuff. It was made worse when Jack fell on top of him. The weight of the larger boy caused him to gasp for air as he tried to scramble up.

"We might just die here, rather than from thirst," Miko complained.

"Don't say that," Jack grunted, trying to help Raf up. "We'll be fine."

At that moment, a shout from behind caused the Cybertronians to break out into a run, jostling the children around even more.

"You were saying?" Miko grunted, somehow still sounding smug.

The Cybertronians turned one corner with the silver mech gesturing around him while speaking to Big Red and Rosy. He then ran one way, while Big Red and Rosy ran the other.

"This is like a James Bond movie," Miko commented. "What are they even running from?"

"Maybe it has something to do with the tree Cybertronians wearing the same colored armor," Jack suggested.

Raf looked to where Jack was pointing. He had not noticed that before, but he could see that their pursuers did indeed have the same gold and silver armor.

"Are they like some Imperial Guard or something?" Miko wondered.

"Whoever they are, I have a feeling we don't want them to catch up to us," Jack said. Raf had to agree with that.

At that moment, they turned another corner, only to run into a dead end. Raf heard Big Red swear as he looked around frantically.

"Bust down a door or something!" Miko exclaimed.

Whether he understood her or not, Big Red did just that, throwing his weight into a rusted, dented doorway. Rosy leaped over him with surprising agility. Big Red scrambled up, shoving the ruined door back in place before following after the femme.

The building they found themselves in seemed abandoned and dark. Really dark. But Rosy and Big Red seemed to know where they were going. Going up what appeared to be a flight of stairs, they came into another dark room.

Big Red looked up before soundlessly pointing to the ceiling. Everyone looked up, and Raf didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Apparently, neither did Rosy.

Big Red moved forward to one part of the room. Reaching up, he removed what looked like a small metal covering. Then Raf understood what it was. It was an air-duct.

Big Red took the box containing the children from Rosy before shoving the box up into the darkness. Miko immediately took out her cell phone, turning the light on. "This place doesn't look steady," Miko commented, gesturing to the rusty hinges.

Raf could hear Rosy and Big Red arguing below in heated whispers. He then heard a shout somewhere in the distance, causing the two Cybertronians to fall silent. Then there was a shuffling sound, and Rosy squirmed her way into the air duct with the kids, the shaft shaking as she did so. She blinked, obviously not expecting the light from Miko's phone. She tapped on the box, her expression urgent.

"Miko," Raf whispered. "Turn it off."

Miko was already doing so, plunging the air-duct into darkness. The only light was the glow from Rosy's optics. The femme shuffled forward and away from the opening, pushing the box with her. She then froze, and it took Raf a moment to hear the sounds of Cybertronians searching down below.

Raf's heart was pounding loudly in his ears. He took a step back, bumping into Jack who laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Miko gripped his hand, all of their gazes locked on Rosy who was staring at them with worry.

There was a loud crash below, causing them all to winch, followed by an angry shout and thundering footsteps below.

Raf held his breath, not daring to breath. Rosy was so still, he had to wonder if she had turned into a statue. They might as well have stayed there for years, waiting for a sound, or some sort of sign.

The silence stretched on, but Rosy still did not move. Raf started to count silently to pass the time and calm his racing heart.

But then Rosy inched back, taking the box with her. She jumped down from the air-shaft before reaching up and taking the box with her. Tiptoeing forward, Rosy looked out the smashed doorway that had been broken down.

The great thing about metal was that it didn't creak like wood. That was a helpful as Rosy descended down the stairs. Rosy peeked out, the daylight suddenly really bright for all of them. Rosy pulled back before stepping out and breaking into a run.

The children found themselves in the same position as before, minus Big Red and the silver mech. But soon, the sound of fighting behind them reached their ears. Rosy heard it too and increased her speed.

The alleyway came to an end and they soon found themselves on the busy side of the city. Raf heard Rosy let out a sigh of...relief? It must be, since she had slowed down her pace.

"What was that all about?" Miko asked.

Jack sighed tiredly. "I have no idea. But this whole day is kind of feeling familiar to me."

Miko nodded. "Yup, running from the bad guys."

"Hiding in the air-ducts," Raf said.

Jack chuckled, before a frown appeared on his face. "How do we know we were running from the 'bad guys'?"

That caused them all to stop, looking back at Rosy who was scanning the buildings she was passing. "I guess..." Raf trailed off. "I guess we don't."

Jack nodded. "We do know that Megatron started a movement against the caste systems, and the Council didn't like it."

"Until he and Optimus went to the Council and Megatron decided he wanted all the power for himself," Raf said.

"Does this mean that Big Red and Rosy are working with Megatron?" Miko asked.

"Well," Jack said slowly. "Megatron didn't start off bad. He wanted to free Cybertron, and Optimus was trying to help him. So Big Red and Rosy might be with Megatron when he's still good."

"But they don't seem like the type to start killing Bot's off," Raf argued.

"I bet Optimus would have said the same thing about Megatron," Jack said.

Their conversation was cut short when Rosy jogged forward, calling out to someone. A red and white Cybertronian was just exiting a building. He looked surprised to see Rosy, but once Rosy rapidly started explaining, or it sounded like she was explaining, the mech looked concerned.

Letting out a huff, the red and white mech quickly gestured for Rosy to enter the building he had just left.

The inside was white, bright, and really large. Professional Cybertronians walked by, glancing up before getting back to work. Rosy followed the red and white mech down the halls until they came to one empty room. The room was large, with a single berth table and many tools and machines. Raf suddenly found himself growing nervous as he eyed the strange objects on the table.

Rosy placed the box down on the berth table before sitting down next to the children. She glanced down at Raf with a small smile, reaching down to hold him. Raf climbed into her servo, clutching her finger as she held him close.

The red and white mech scanned something on his datapad before looking at Rosy, asking something in Cybertronian. Rosy answered back, gesturing to Raf. The only word Raf understood was, "Meaest."

The white and red medic looked at Raf with a frown before raising an optic ridge at Rosy. "Melchnie?" he repeated to Rosy, who nodded firmly.

Raf's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. Tapping Rosy's arm to get her attention, he pointed to himself. "Melchnie?" he asked, trying to say the strange Cybertronian word.

Rosy nodded, pointing back at Raf. "Melchnie," she repeated. She said the word with such care and fondness, that Raf had to wonder what the meaning was behind it.

What the meaning of the _name_ was.

"Melchnie," he repeated, trying out the new word, the new name.

Rosy beamed. "Melchnie," she said with glee, causing Raf to giggle at her excitement.

At that moment, the door slid open to reveal Big Red. His optic's landed on Rosy, a smile appearing on his face. Rosy slid off the berth and approached Big Red, her tone worried as she talked to him. Big Red waved her worries aside as he looked down at Raf with concern. Rosy handed Raf over to Big Red who gently touched Raf's hair. "Melchnie," he said to Raf, causing the child to look up at him in surprise.

The red and white Cybertronian grumbled something, catching everyone's attention. He tapped his data pad before reaching in the box and gently grabbing Miko.

"Hey! No! Put me down!" she shrieked as she was placed near the pointy objects. "Don't make me kick you with my foot!"

"Wait, what are you doing?" Raf shrieked as he tried to get up, only to be held firmly by Big Red. Jack was hitting the glass box, yelling as he watched the red and white Cybertronian scan Miko.

Big Red approached where Miko was, gently running his large finger through her hair. Miko locked eyes with Raf, whose expression was terrified. Big Red started to speak, his tone calm and quiet.

"Nelchie," he murmured to her. "Nelchie."

Miko frowned up at him. "I may not understand what you are saying, but it sounds like you're trying to calm me down." Then, she somehow got her hand free to shake her finger at Big Red. "But if you hurt me, I'm going to tell Bulkhead." Her tone was joking, but there was an edge of seriousness to it that told Raf how scared she had been moments ago.

"It looks like he's just running scans," a voice said. Raf looked to see Jack in Rosy's arms, who was gently rocking him.

Jack's theory was confirmed moments later when Raf found himself in the same position Miko was previously in. This time, Big Red held Miko and was now gently stroking Raf's hair. The red and white mech ran a bright scan up and down Raf's tiny body. Surprisingly, he didn't feel anything at all. Then the mech gently poked at Rafs knees and arms before putting him under a microscope.

Jack followed next, but he took a bit longer then Raf had. "I'm up on all my flu shots," the teen joked nervously when he was put under the microscope. The mech then looked up before taking Miko back, examining her face where the bruise was. He glanced up at Big Red with a questioning glance. The larger Cybertronian sheepishly explained what happened, which earned him a whack from Rosy. The mech huffed before leaving the room. Big Red gathered Miko in his arms with Raf while Rosy held onto Jack.

While the two Cybertronians conversed, Miko looked at Raf with a smirk. Raf blinked. "What?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing. It's just that, this dude was giving us a check-up, which means he's a doctor."

Raf's eyes widened. "You think Ratchet could be here?"

Before Miko could answer, the red and white mech came in, carrying a small container, which he handed over to Rosy. He then ushered them out of the room with a worried look. Big Red quickly put Miko and Raf back in the glass box with Jack, and he carried them out while Rosy held the container the red and white Cybertronian had given her.

"Uh oh," Miko muttered.

Raf looked at her with panic. "Uh oh what?"

"The Imperial Guards are here," she answered, pointing behind Big Red. Raf looked back, and sure enough, there were the golden Cybertronians. One was being carried in what looked like a stretcher, his optics dark. The other was being tended to what looked like a nurse, her servos blue with the energon she was trying to stop from flowing out of his arm.

"Did-did Big Red do that?" Raf stuttered, glancing at the red Cybertronian.

Miko shrugged, her eyes wide. Suddenly, Raf didn't feel so safe in Big Red's arms.

Dude, as Miko had named him, led Rosy and Big Red out through what seemed like the back. It wasn't long before they left the alleyway and resumed their walk on the busy side of the city.

"This is starting to feel familiar," Jack muttered worriedly.

"Don't worry," Miko encouraged. "That's Big Red's place," she said, pointing to the buildings they were approaching.

Sure enough, Big Red and Rosy stopped in front of the building. Rosy handed off the container to him before looking at the children in the box. She gently rubbed each one on the head before leaving quickly. Big Red entered the building and set the box down before punching in the access code. Kneeling over to pick up the container, he entered his home with the children.

Miko sighed, collapsing in the pile of white stuffing. "Safe at last."

"Uhh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," Jack said, pointing at the table. All three children stared at the large, strange Cybertronian that was already inside. He slowly got up, staring down at Big Red who stood frozen in the doorway.

The large Cybertronian grinned upon seeing the children. "Scrap," Miko swore. Raf, for once, agreed with her on that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hi guys! Thank you for the reviews and keep them coming. Also, if you want me to do another story about Big Red and Rosy's point of view, let me know.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

They all stared at the large, menacing Cybertronian that was in the room. Miko felt a small pit of fear form in her stomach. Her eyes flickered over to Big Red who was still frozen in the doorway. The strange mech was large, larger than Big Red. Even in the dim light, Miko could still see the dents in his armor, and the way he was holding his right shoulder indicated something was wrong with it.

Big Red started forward immediately, though it wasn't to fight. It was to seat the intruder back in the chair. With his one servo, he set the children down on the table before...was he fussing, over the other mech?

Miko snorted. Okay, this just took an interesting turn.

The mech turned to face the children, staring at them with intense optics. He then grinned, saying something to Big Red who whacked him over the helm. The mech whined, which Big Red ignored.

Miko decided to call him Buster, for a reason unknown to her.

Miko watched with great interest as Big Red took ahold of Buster's right arm. Buster seemed to brace himself as Big Red pushed the arm up with a loud 'pop,' causing all three of the children to winch.

"Ouch," Miko whistled. "That's gotta hurt."

"He had to reset the arm," Jack explained. "I've seen my mom do that plenty of times. Apparently, this guy had a dislocated arm."

Miko saw Raf frown. "But why would he come to Big Red and not a medic?"

Miko grinned, interested. "Maybe he's got something to hide." Possible scenarios were running through her mind. Was he a criminal? A fugitive? A murder? Actually, now that she thought of it, she hoped Buster wasn't the last part that had ended her train of thought.

Big Red left the room, doing what, Miko had no idea. So she turned her attention to Buster, who was leaning in the chair, rubbing his arm.

She banged on the glass. "Hey, Buster!"

"What are you doing?" Jack hissed, grabbing her arm frantically as Buster turned to look at them. He then turned away, uninterested, though that didn't faze Miko.

"Excuse me," she started, ignoring the boy's frantic looks. "Could you let me out?" She held up her arms, as if she wanted to be picked up. She was going a little stir crazy from being confined in the small box all day. Playing her puppy dog eyes on the big mean Bot outta work.

However, Buster ignored her. Or he seemed to. Miko could see the way his optics flickered over to look at her with obvious interest.

Miko frowned pitifully. "Please?" She then trembled her lip when he looked at her, his optics widening at her kicked-puppy dog look.

To her surprise, he got up from his chair and left, bellowing for someone. She guessed it was for Big Red, who came in carrying what looked to be a small jar. Big Red frowned as Buster gestured to the children. The red Cybertronian sighed, walking over and picking up Miko.

Opening up the container that Dude had given him, Big Red pulled out a small jar, turning it over where a small blob of blue, creamy gel fell on his fingers. Big Red then held it up, before smearing it all over Miko's bruise.

Miko sputtered, spitting out the blue stuff that got in her mouth. She was then placed back in the box, where Raf and Jack were staring at her in shock.

"What," she sputtered, trying to wipe the blue stuff off her face. "Is this?"

"I have no idea," Jack said, hesitantly coming over and pulling her hair back and away from the gooey mess. Miko was grateful for that, as bits of her black and pink hair was falling in her face and getting covered in the blue gel.

"Thanks," she said, flickering the sticky substance off her fingers.

Jack smiled. "No prob-" He was cut off when a silver servo pushed him out of the way and grabbed Miko.

"Hey," she yelped. "What are you doing?" she demanded as Buster carried her to Big Red who was searching through what looked to be a cabinet. Big Red frowned as Buster gestured to Miko's face, which was almost clear of the gel. Big Red frowned, taking Miko from Buster. He shook his finger at her, as if correcting her.

Miko frowned. "I'm sorry. But first, I don't understand you. Second, you can't just go around and start smearing people with blue sticky-" She was cut off when Big Red smeared more of the blue gel on her face. Then she was handed back to Buster while he rummaged through the container. Pulling out a small, circular device, he came forward and held Miko steady.

Miko decided that it was best not to fight against the two Cybertronians, especially since one was holding her neck. Five minutes later, she would regret that, as Big Red snapped something around her neck.

Miko stood in the corner of the glass box, a stunned look on her face. Raf and Jack also wore expressions of disbelief.

"I'm surprised you're not laughing at me," she grumbled, her voice muffled.

"We…" Jack started off slowly. "Are too surprised to do anything at the moment."

Miko huffed at the cone that had been placed on her, her breath fogging up the space. A cone! Like she was some sick dog!

"Why would he put this on me!" she exclaimed, pacing around. Thank God the cone was clear so she could see, but the length of the cone would make it difficult for her to eat and drink. She couldn't reach up to touch her face, as the cone prevented her from doing so.

Eventually, she sat down cross legged with a scowl. Well, this was just perfect! Why did she even need this thing anyway? Was it to keep her from removing the blue gel? To make matters worse, it was starting to smell. She was sweating, she hadn't bathed in two days, and her face was starting to itch. To make her life really miserable, she could not scratch it!

Shoot, now she felt her nose dripping.

Buster came over to examine the children with bored optics as Big Red applied some salve on the other Cybertronian's open cuts. At one point, Buster pulled away with a hiss, snarling at Big Red who blinked, unfazed. Placing a servo on his hips, he glared at Buster who grunted but stayed still. Buster locked eyes with Miko who snorted. "Now you know how I feel," she said.

Buster was silent, gazing at Miko before looking away. Miko sighed, picking up the notebook she was using for her drawings. She went to the picture she was drawing of Megatron and Optimus battling. She had made sure to include the ferocious look in Megatron's picture, while Optimus looked noble in her drawing. On her next picture, she had drawn Earth and a groundbridge above it. She wasn't quite sure how to finish it off, but she kept it just in case she was struck by an idea. Her last picture was of Cybertron, black and dark. Bulkhead had tried to describe his home to her, and from what she could gather, it was lovely. Plus, Jack had given off some helpful pointers when he went to Cybertron with Arcee.

She sighed, drawing the dark colors of the planet, a bored expression on her face. The only pencils she had were green, yellow and a grey pencil Raf used for his school. She also had a blue pen that Raf had found in his backpack, but with the lack of colors, Miko had to keep her options on drawings limited.

"Melchnie," Big Red said suddenly. Miko saw Raf look up, his gaze intense. She could see Big Red pointing at Raf before pointing at Jack. "Lechnie," he said to Buster. "Nelchie," he then said, pointing at Miko. Buster raised an optic ridge, a look of amusement crossing his face.

Miko frowned. "What did he say?"

"I think...those are our names," Raf said slowly.

Miko blinked. "What?"

"I think they named us," Raf repeated.

"So let me get this straight," Jack started. "We've been put in a box, given what Miko thinks are wee-wee pads for the bathroom. Miko has a dog cone on her head." Miko scowled at that. "And now we've been given names."

Miko huffed. "Guys, it's official. We are now the Cybertronians pets." She remembered Megatron referring to them as such, and it had always bothered her. The Autobot's treated them like members of the team, like comrades, and partners.

Like family.

Miko swallowed, feeling tears well up in her eyes. But she blinked them away. Now was not the time for her to cry. Crying would just make her nose drip even more. She needed to get her pictures done and show them to the Cybertronians. However, she could not get rid of the feeling of hopelessness that filled her.

Jack's voice pulled her away from her dark thoughts. "Take a drink, everyone." She looked up at the near empty-bottle Jack was holding.

"It's almost empty," she rasped out, her voice surprisingly hoarse.

Jack smiled. "I like to think I'm a glass half full kinda guy."

Raf and Miko giggled, despite the situation. When it was Miko's turn to drink, she tilted her head up while Jack held the bottle for her, dripping the water into her mouth. The situation was awkward, but the water was so worth it when it soothed her parched throat.

When she was done, she noticed Big Red and Buster watching them intently. Big Red wore an expression of concern on his face, his optic's following the water bottle as Jack put the empty thing in Raf's backpack. Big Red got up from his seat, before picking up the box and container.

"Okay," Jack said uneasily. "Now where are we going?"

Big Red stopped when Buster grabbed his arm, trying to urge him away from the door. Big Red pulled his arm free, gesturing to the children with urgency. Buster let out a growl of exasperation, throwing his arms up in a 'I give up' gesture. Big Red shrugged, unfazed as he walked out of his home with the children. Moments later, a frustrated shout could be heard, followed by Buster coming out to walk by Big Red's side, grumbling. Big Red just grinned, replying back in what sounded to Miko as a know-it-all tone.

The streets were still busy, and Miko felt like they had been walking forever. Pretty soon, the tall buildings stood in the far distance, and the sky was getting slightly dark. Buster followed Big Red like a large, intimidating shadow, glaring at anyone who looked at them. Big Red commented on something, to which Buster only snorted, resuming his death-glare on a passing Cybertronian.

Miko watched as the buildings got smaller, shrinking down to one story buildings. The area looked, dare she say, rough? It seemed that way, considering the dirty and large Cybertronians that walked by. Some were leaning against buildings, eyeing Big Red and Buster. But the red Cybertronian didn't look too concerned as he handed the box containing the children off to Buster, who sputtered in surprise. Big Red ignored him, and Miko noted that he seemed to do that a lot with the bigger mech when it came to his protests. The smaller mech pulled out a data pad from the container, typing in something that Miko could not see.

Buster huffed, eyeing the children as if they were going to bite him. Miko grinned up at him, the idea of him being scared of her striking her as funny. Big Red gestured for Buster to follow him down the street, which Buster did, holding the box away from him as if it held some kind of plague.

"Give it time, Buster," Miko said cheerfully. "We'll grow on you." Buster narrowed his optics, as if he knew what she was saying.

Big Red stopped at a building, causing Buster to let out a groan as he examined the sign on the two story place. Miko wrinkled her nose, the stench reaching them. It looked clean, which made it look out of place among the other buildings. But there were strange sounds coming from inside. Sounds that sent Miko's skin crawling. Glancing at her friends, she found that she wasn't the only one.

Big Red looked at Buster before entering the building, Buster following reluctantly behind. The noise and stench only got worse upon entrance. Miko stumbled back at the weird creatures in tanks and cages.

"Is he...is he going to leave us here?" Raf whimpered.

"We'll just escape," Miko said firmly, her eyes darting over to where a reptile looking creature was. The creature opened its four eyes, gazing at the children with a hungry expression. Buster shielded the children from view, following Big Red up to a counter.

Big Red looked around, peeking over the desk and calling out. He rang what looked like a strange looking bell, an ominous sound coming from the thing. At that moment, a strange looking Cybertronian waltzed out as if she owned the place. Which she probably did.

"Is she wearing beads?" Jack choked out, amusement in his tone.

"Looks like it," Raf answered.

The blue and green femme looked at Big Red and Buster through her beaded helm, her expression light. She folded her servos together, as if waiting for an answer. Big Red, after a moment of shocked silence, started listing off whatever was on the data pad he was holding. The femme listened intently before prancing off into what appeared to be the back room. Big Red glanced at Buster with a raised optic ridge, to where Buster just snorted in amusement.

The femme returned, handing out a large container carrying what appeared to be brown mush. She then handed off another large jar, though Miko could not see what was in it. Big Red placed those things in his larger container before paying off the femme. The femme, after counting her credits, looked at Big Red before saying something to him, her voice light. She then winked at him before entering the back room. Big Red looked aghast, blinking his optics. Miko frowned as she watched him. Did he look embarrassed? Now Miko really wanted to know what they had just said.

The walk home was uneventful. And it seemed funny to Miko how she was now considering Big Red's place as home. Once in the building, Buster began searching all the rooms, as if expecting to find someone unwanted there. Coming into what Miko had dubbed as the main room, he nodded to Big Red before turning to leave. Big Red called out to him, his voice urgent. Buster only looked at him with a confident smirk before leaving.

Big Red sighed wearily, rubbing his helm as if fighting off a headache. "Rough day?" Miko asked him suddenly.

Big Red looked at her, as if remembering them. Rising from his seat, he opened the silver container, pulling out the brown mush and weird jar. Coming over to the children, he placed the brown mush in a small bowl before putting it in the box with the children.

Miko wrinkled her nose. "What is tha-?" She never got to finish as she was picked up rather suddenly.

Big Red looked down at her, causing Miko to frown nervously. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Big Red didn't answer. Instead, he reached for the cone and took it off. Miko blinked in surprise when she was put back in the box. Big Red pushed her gently toward the brown goo, and she dug her heels in an effort to stop.

"Nuh-uh," she said stubbornly. "I ain't going near that stuff." She could hear Big Red sigh, but his pushing was ever firm. Pretty soon, he just picked her up and placed her closer then she would have wanted to be to the bowl. But once he let her go, Miko bolted.

"You can't make me go near that stuff!" she shouted as she joined her friends in the corner of the box. They all eyed the brown mush as if it might attack them. Big Red rolled his optics before picking up a small amount of the brown stuff in his fingers. He held it to his mouth as if he were going to eat it, before stopping and pointing to the children. He did it a few more times, gesturing to the children and the brown stuff.

"I think he wants us to eat it," Raf said softly.

Both Jack and Miko's eyes widened. "Um, sorry. But no," Jack said.

"Yeah, I'm not eating that," Miko said.

Raf huffed before walking forward. He stuck his hand in the brown mush, grimacing as he did so, before putting it into his mouth. Big Red nodded, a smile on his face.

"It tastes like jell-o," Raf said.

Miko blinked, coming forward with interest. "Really?"

"No," came the plain response. "It's tasteless."

Miko wrinkled her nose. But the hunger in her stomach helped make her decision as she hesitantly examined the brown goop now in her hand.

"Just don't think about it," Jack said. Miko noticed that he was holding his breath as he chewed the...food. If it could even be called that.

"Right," Miko said with a grimace. She closed her eyes before eating, trying not to recoil at the mushy feeling in her mouth. Surprisingly, the food was cold, yet it had no flavor like Raf had said. But if she didn't think too much about the appearance of the food, it wasn't bad at all.

They didn't eat much, their stomachs content and their taste buds relieved when they stopped. "I wonder if he has water for us," Jack stated, looking up at Big Red who was pouring the contents of the jar into a smaller bottle. He then came forward, picking Raf up and cradling him in his large arms. Miko and Jack watched in surprise when Big Red tried to feed Raf what looked like a bottle.

Miko snorted. "Come on Raf. Take your bottle," she called up, noticing that his face was red with embarrassment.

"It'll be you turn so-" Raf never finished his sentence as Big Red Red took advantage of the boy's open mouth. Raf let out a muffled squeak as Big Red began feeding him the bottle.

"Awww," Miko cooed. Ref's glare only made him look adorable. To make matters worse, in Raf's case, Big Red began rocking him.

Miko giggled. "You have to admit, that is cute."

Jack raised an amused eyebrow. "And look who's turn it is."

Miko's eyes widened when Big Red picked her up and began cradling her, holding a new bottle. Miko frowned, turning her head away to avoid the bottle. "Nelchie," Big Red said, a warning note in his voice. Miko glared at him. "Miko, my name is Miko."

Big Red huffed. "Nelchie," he said, his voice firm.

"C'mon Miko," Raf called out. "Drink your bottle. Be a big girl."

"Do you want her to kill you?" she heard Jack say. Miko sighed, opening her mouth like a baby bird. Big Red beamed as he fed her.

She felt like she had been turned back into a baby. A really tiny baby. The thought irked her to no end. But, as she drank, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, Miko found that her thirst was subsided. So she drank eagerly.

When it was Jack's turn, Miko kept the teasing down to a minimum, knowing that karma was in the works.

"Guess that answers your question about the water," Miko said to Jack when he was set back down.

Jack wiped his mouth. "Yeah, it does," he answered, nodding. "So that takes care of one problem."

Miko felt a flood of relief. So they weren't going to die of thirst after all.

She went back to her drawings while Raf started up his computer again. Jack settled down next to Miko. She loved drawing, it was the best way to capture her imagination. When her host parents had seen a drawing of Bulkhead, they quickly thought she had a talent for drawing machines. That was the last time she had shown anyone outside of Team Prime her drawings.

As she practiced and sharpened her skills, she learned to go into deeper detail. The twisting of the Autobot's metal, the shapes of their armor, the way their head's tilted. As she worked on the drawing of Optimus, she stopped and stared. If she just let herself get lost in her thoughts, she could fool herself into believing that Optimus was staring back at her.

"Has anyone seen my pocket knife?" Jack asked suddenly.

Miko and Raf looked up. "What?" Raf asked.

"My pocket knife," Jack said. "It's the same one I used to blow up Airachnid's ship. I've carried it with me ever since."

"Maybe it fell out," Raf offered.

Jack let out a disappointed sigh. "Yeah, I guess so." He sat down, a look of sadness on his face.

"Hey," Miko said, nudging him. "You alright?" Better to change the subject quickly so that he didn't dwell on the loss of his pocket knife any further.

He looked at her, his eyes tired. "I just…" He sighed. "I miss my mom."

Understanding dawned on Miko. "Oh," was all she could say.

He shrugged. "We've never really been apart like this. It's kind of crazy to think that not even my grandparents are born yet."

Miko grinned. "Yeah, and you're doing more than they could ever imagine."

Jack chuckled. His eyes then flickered over to Big Red who was coming over. "Looks like our host is going to give you the cone of shame."

Miko's eyes widened. No! She won't let him! She quickly jumped to her feet, scrambling to where Raf was. She didn't get very far as Big Red caught her and smeared more of the blue stuff on her bruise before sticking the cone on her. "This is not fair," she grumbled to Big Red as he stroked her hair when he put her down. Great, now her face was starting to itch. She looked at Jack who was trying not to grin. "Here," she said, walking over to him. "Scratch my face."

Jack let out a snort in a failed attempt to not laugh. Raf buried his face in his computer, but Miko could tell he was smiling. "I have a better idea," Jack said, coming forward. She felt Jack feel around the cone, searching for a way to unclip it. Miko's eyes flickered up to see Big Red rushing forward, pushing Jack out of the way before scooping Miko up.

"Oh come on!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in frustration as Big Red held her. She was so close to freedom. So close to being rid of the cone. So close!

Big Red shook a finger at Jack, gesturing to Miko before shaking his head. Jack sent Miko an apologetic look, to where Miko just shrugged.

Big Red carried her and the others into his berth room. He put the box containing Jack and Raf down before settling down in his berth with Miko in his servos. Miko frowned, looking up at him. "Am I sleeping here with you?"

He didn't answer as he settled down, cradling Miko close. She was startled for a moment, feeling the warmth and the steady thrum of his spark. Miko moved her head, cringing at the sound the cone made. But eventually, she got comfortable enough to where she could just relax and close her eyes. Big Red rubbed her small back with his finger, murmuring softly to her. Miko felt the warmth of his spark wrap around her, lulling her into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three days, and Jack, Raf and Miko had worked out a certain schedule. In the morning, or what Jack assumed was the morning, Big Red would get up, check their food and feed them from a bottle. It had been awkward at first, but the kid's had pushed away their embarrassment for the water. And Jack found that he liked being close to Big Red's warm spark. It calmed him and chased away his worries. At one point, he had fallen asleep in Big Red's arms while the Cybertronian had been feeding him. When he awoke, he saw Big Red still holding him, but the red Cybertronian had fallen asleep too. Jack had just smiled, snuggling closer to the warm spark before falling back to sleep.

Big Red would then go to work and drop them off at the front desk with Rosy, who was always excited to see them. She seemed to be especially fond of Raf, who she cuddled and cooed over. Rosy even felt comfortable enough to let the kids out of the box and roam around her desk. Raf had taken the opportunity to sit on Rosy's shoulders and watch her work on the large computer. Jack never figured out what Raf found interesting, but he didn't bug his friend about it. They all had their hobbies, and Raf's just happened to be computer science and what Miko called 'geeky, nerd stuff.'

The Imperial Guards, as Miko called them, had only stopped by once, and that was to question Rosy. The femme had played innocent, and clueless, which Jack found amusing. It had seemed so out of character for her as she fluttered her optics at the guards. Miko had to turn away before she burst out laughing at the situation. But apparently, the guards believed whatever Rosy had told them, and they had left her alone and proceeded out of the building.

At Big Red's home, the red Cybertronian would let them out of the box and allow them to roam around while he was working. But that didn't stop him from being a mother-hen. If they were too quiet, he would come running to check on them. If they were bad, which involved the two boy's chasing Miko when they just knew she was up to something bad, they would get put back in the box. But Big Red did watch his step whenever he was walking, and the children weren't too afraid of getting stepped on since it was only him in the house.

Most of the time, when the children were exploring Big Red's place, the Cybertronian would accompany them. At first, Jack thought it was just to keep an eye on them. But as time went on, Jack began to believe that the mech really enjoyed their company. At times, when Big Red was supposed to be working, he would sit down and allow the children to climb on him and settle on his lap. He would try to converse with them, and they would try to talk to him, but they never got anything across. But the children learned to listen for the certain tones in the Cybertronians voices.

Sleep was not much of a problem, until Raf woke up one day with a headache. He had tried to hide it from the other's. But Jack had noticed the minute Raf took off his glasses to rub at his forehead, his eyes watering from the tears he was trying to hide. Jack had been bangining on the glass, calling for Big Red who came running. The large Cybertronian had scooped Raf up and held him close to his spark. That seemed to help Raf a bit, as his headaches had ceased.

Back on Earth, Jack had known that the Autobot's were trying to learn the ways of humanity, and it amused him at their excitement at learning something new. Big Red and Rosy were no exceptions. However, their lack of knowledge served to be concerning as the children had no way to communicate with them.

One such incident was when Rosy came over to visit. Big Red was staying home, and Jack had to assume it was like a day off, or something. The children were on the counter, and Raf had gone too close to the edge and had tripped over his untied shoe-lace. Rosy had been there to catch him, but Raf's shoe had slipped off his foot. Rosy had spotted the shoe in her hold and had shrieked, thinking that Raf's foot had fallen off.

Big Red jumped up from his seat, startled by Rosy's screams. The two had tried pushing the shoe back on poor Raf's foot. Miko had slipped her own shoe off before throwing it at Big Red in an effort to catch everyone's attention. Then the children had shown the two Bot's that their shoes were supposed to come off and that it wasn't life threatening.

Miko's cone came off soon with another visit with Dude. Apparently, Big Red had been putting too much of the blue gel on Miko, which had caused her to break out in pimples. That annoyed the girl to no end. Dude had shown Big Red that he was only supposed to lightly dab the bruise, which had surprisingly gone down. Thus, as long as Miko would stop rubbing the stuff off her face, the cone stayed off.

The children had learned to communicate with the Bot's through hand signals. Holding their arms up was a sign that they wanted to be picked up. The sign language for 'more' was the same when it came to wanting more food or water. Jack had come up with the idea for miming drinking when they wanted Big Red to give them more of the bottled water. Turns out, Big Red was a big softy when it came to the children. After sleeping with Miko for one night, Jack and Raf found themselves sleeping with Big Red and Miko the next time around. But it didn't bother them. In fact, they prefered it. And Raf had said it helped keep his headaches away.

But two days in a box, without taking a bath...Jack was ready for a good, clean soak. That had been solved when they visited Dude. Apparently, he had given instructions to Big Red on what to do about the dirt and grim gathering on the kids faces.

Miko eyed the bowl of strange water. It looked like a pool with the way it was built. And the liquid inside looked like water with a light green coloring, even though there wasn't water in Cybertron. But since they were in a doctor's place, then it would make sense that Dude had access to off-world supplies. "Are we supposed to bath in that?" she asked. Big Red, Dude and Rosy were watching them with interest, but trying to act subtle about it.

Miko looked at the two boy's, a light blush on her cheeks. "I'm going to keep my clothes on," she said simply.

Jack and Raf nodded in relief. Raf bent over to untie his shoes, glancing at Rosy as he did so; none of them wanted to repeat the shoe incident again. He then took off his vest before rolling up his pants and sleeves. Jack did the same, opting to keep his shirt on. Miko took her boots and belt off. She then took her blue jumper off, leaving her in her pink t-shirt and purple leggings. Her black and pink hair stood on end as she shook it out of her hair ties. She then proceeded to jump in the small pool, only to jump back out with a shriek.

"It's freezing!" she exclaimed, her teeth chattering, the clothes she had on dripping wet.

Jack dipped his toe in before pulling back. "Yep," he sighed. He saw Dude stick his finger in the water, only to shrug in confusion. Of course, the Cybertronian's wouldn't understand why the humans didn't like the cold. Jack grimaced, closing his eyes and just walked into the pool. The cold water rushed at him, and Jack immediately kicked to the surface with a gasp. "It's not too bad," he said, trying not to shiver. The water wasn't deep, as it just came up to Jack's chest.

Miko eyed him doubtfully while Raf slowly inched in. The younger boy shivered, but otherwise, didn't complain. "C'mon Miko," Jack encouraged, watching as Miko sat at the edge.

"Don't rush me," she said, dipping her pale toes in before pulling them back.

"You going to take all day?" Jack asked as he swam toward her.

Miko frowned at the water. "Things like this take time."

Jack smirked. "No time like the present." Before Miko could do anything, Jack grabbed her arms and pulled her in. She let out a shriek as she hit the water before scrambling away from Jack.

"You!" She growled. Then she splashed Raf who sputtered in surprise.

"What was that for?" he demanded, removing his glasses. "Jack was the one who pulled you in!"

Miko shrugged. "Yeah, but you were closer."

Raf smiled mischievously before splashing back. He then dove under the water to avoid Miko's retaliation. Pretty soon, a brief splash war broke out.

Rosy leaned forward with interest as she watched the young children. She put her finger in the water which Miko latched onto. Rosy smiled as she dragged Miko in the water, who let out a happy yell as the water splashed around her. She then let go of Rosy's finger, which sent her flying into Jack. Jack let out a yelp as he was pushed under. When he rose up from the water, he could see Miko holding Rosy's finger again as her escape.

"Revenge is so sweet!" Miko cackled.

Jack grinned, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes before trudging out, feeling cleaner than he had three days ago. He frowned at his dripping wet clothes. Now what? Did he just leave them on? But there was a good chance that he could catch a cold if he kept the wet clothes on.

But Dude seemed to know what to do as he picked up Jack and walked across the room. He gently set Jack down before turning on what looked like a lamp. Pretty soon, Jack felt the comfortable, warm heat coming from the strange device. Jack sighed in content, laying down. Pretty soon, Raf and Miko joined him and all three of them were sprawled on their backs, relaxing in the warmth. Jack could hear Big Red, Rosy and Dude conversing with each other, but he paid them no mind.

"This is nice," Miko mumbled, content.

Jack nodded, his eyes closed. "So, I guess we need a status report."

He heard Miko huff as she rolled over. "My pictures are nearly done, and I've done four of them."

Jack nodded. "You'll have to show us later. How about you, Raf?"

Raf let out a disappointed sigh. "My computer is not working. I can only access the files saved to my memory cloud."

Jack turned over to look at Raf. "What's on your memory cloud?"

Raf brightened up. "That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about. I have pictures saved to it. Pictures of the Bot's. I don't have a lot, but-"

"I do! I do!" Miko shouted excitedly, getting up. "I take pictures of the Bot's all the time on my phone!"

Jack sat up. "Me too! And could we plug that into your computer and display it for the Cybertronians to see?"

Raf shook his head. "Not from your phones. I would need a cord to do that."

"Still," Miko argued. "We can still show them. It might even work better than my drawings."

"I wouldn't get rid of the drawings just yet," Jack said quickly. "We could still communicate with them through that." He stopped, looking at Raf. "Speaking of which. I know you've been learning a bit of Cybertronian. Can you understand a bit of what they are saying? Or could you write down a message?"

Raf shook his head. "I can only recognize their names. That's as far as Optimus got in the lessons."

"Aside from the basics," Miko piped up. "Like the really important ones the Bot's would say." She listed off with her fingers. "We've picked up 'hello,' 'good day,' 'father,' and 'family'."

Jack smiled, thinking of the Autobots. "I don't think they've realized what an influence they've been to us."

Raf nodded, grinning. "It's funny how that has happened."

A silence descended on all of them, each lost in their own thoughts. Jack swallowed the lump forming in his throat. The mention of his Cybertronian family always left him feeling conflicted. He knew they were doing the right thing in trying to save Cybertron. But it meant never meeting Arcee, his partner and closest friend. It never meant meeting Bulkhead, the clumsy uncle in the family. Or Bumblebee, the courageous brother and Ratchet the cranky medic and caring teacher.

Then there was Optimus. Jack had never really known his father. But if he did, he would want his dad to be just like Optimus. The Prime trusted all of them, and treated them as his own. He cared for them, and was there to protect them. Jack remembered when Optimus rushed off to face Megatron, just for what the warlord had done to Raf with the Dark Energon. Even though he hadn't been there to witness the fight, Jack heard that it had been brutal, with Optimus gaining the upper-hand until the last minute. All for Raf's safety, and the safety of others.

Jack hugged his knees to his chest, a faint smile on his face. He missed Optimus. He missed them all.

Big Red came over and gently put the children in the glass box. Their shoes and Miko's jumper were already in there with Raf's backpack that contained their phones. They settled down in the cottoned stuffing that served as their seats and awaited the ride. Big Red and Rosy bid Dude goodbye, or that's what Jack assumed, and they left the doctor's office.

There were no guards chasing them, much to Miko's disappointment. But Jack was surprised when they approached the building that Rosy and Big Red worked at.

"Wait," Miko said. "We're not going home?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess not."

Sure enough, Rosy stopped at her usual desk and let the children out. Big Red stroked their heads lovingly before making his way to his own office. Rosy sat down on her chair before starting her own work.

"Alright Miko," Jack said with a sigh. "Let's see your drawings."

Miko nodded, opening her notebook. "Here's the one about Earth and the groundbridge, I just finished that one last night. And here's the one about Megatron and Optimus battling it out."

Jack nodded as he and Raf looked at the pictures. He had to admit, Miko had done a really good job. The noble look an Optimus's face looked spot-on, while Megatron's narrowed, red optics looked-

Jack stopped suddenly, frowning. Red optics? Where had Miko gotten the red color?

"Miko," he started slowly. "Where did you get the red?"

Miko froze. "It's one of Raf's pencils," she answered.

Raf also frowned. "No, it's not. I don't have a red pencil with me."

"Well maybe you just forgot," she said, avoiding looking at him, or Jack for that matter.

Jack felt his panic grow. "Miko," he said.

Miko finally looked at him. "Okay, fine! I pricked my fingers to get the red color."

Jack blinked. "You pricked your finger- How did you prick your finger?"

"With your pocket knife," she answered.

His eyes widened. "My pocket knife? The pocket knife I thought I had lost?"

"Yes, that pocket knife," Miko answered, reaching into her small pocket and pulling the knife out. Jack snatched it back, as if it would cause more harm in Miko's hands then his.

"Let me see your fingers," he demanded.

Miko stepped away from him. "I'm fine. It's no big deal."

"Miko," Jack started, struggling for words. "Why would you do that? We would have figured something else out!"

"Like what?" Miko snapped. "The red coloring will really-"

"Really what?" Jack demanded. "Stand out?"

"I need to get the message across!" Miko yelled. "I have one shot at this to make them understand what will happen. And I can not mess this up. We need to save them. All of them!"

"But not at the cost of hurting yourself," Jack argued. He struggled to keep his temper in check. Getting mad and yelling would do nothing and only serve to drive Miko away. He was concerned for her. How long had she been doing this to herself? Probably from the start, considering that the pictures were done.

"It doesn't even hurt," Miko argued back. "And even if it did, it's a small price to pay for their future!" She turned as if to walk away, but Jack reached out to stop her. "Miko," he started, surprisingly calm. "We all want to help save Cybertron. But we can't do that if something happens to us."

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "Nothing will happen to me," she said.

"And we'll make sure of that," Jack said firmly. "But to communicate with Rosy and Big Red, we need to communicate with each other. That means no secrets. Share your ideas, and be honest with us."

"This is why I didn't want to tell you, because I knew how you would react," Miko said.

Jack blinked. "And how did you expect me to react?"

Miko opened her mouth to reply, before closing it. After a moment of silence, she answered. "I was expecting a lot more yelling."

Jack let out a tired sigh. "That was my first reaction," he confessed. "I'm just concerned for you." He looked down at the pocket knife in his hand. "But please, don't ever do this again."

Miko shrugged. "I'm done anyway."

That did little to appease Jack, but he let it go for now. He turned to see Raf who was staring at them wide eyed. "That was the shortest, most calmest argument you guy's have ever had," he commented.

Jack looked at Miko who grinned at him. "Let's hope it's the last one for a while."

Miko rolled her eyes in amusement. It was then Jack noticed Rosy watching them with concern. "We're alright," Jack said to her with a wave. Rosy nodded before extending her hand down to Raf. The younger boy knew what this meant, as it had become a habit. He climbed on her servo before settling down onto her shoulders. Although smaller than Bumblebee, Raf always found a good position to be in when he was on Rosy.

Jack sighed, settling down for a long evening.

* * *

"Well that was uneventful," Miko grumbled.

"And how were you expecting it to go?" Raf asked in amusement.

"Anything but just sit around all day!" Miko complained. She looked over at Jack who had remained silent. "Yo, Jack-Rabbit, you with us?"

Jack looked up. "I was just...wondering."

Miko scooted closer. "'Bout what?"

He sighed. "What made Megatron so evil?"

Raf and Miko blinked in shock. "Um, duh. He's a bad guy," Miko said.

"But he wasn't always a bad guy," Jack protested.

"Does evil really need a reason?" Raf asked.

Jack looked down. "No, I guess not." He looked up to see Big Red coming out of one of the rooms from his home. Rosy had stayed with them until Big Red came home. She had stayed a little longer, both her and Big Red conversing in hushed tones. Miko thought there was something romantic going on, but Jack didn't think so. They were both frowning and looked equally worried.

"But he had to have a reason," Jack continued.

"Power," Miko offered. "Ratchet said he wanted the title of Prime."

"But he started out for the good of Cybertron," Jack argued. "He was once a slave too, maybe that was part of the reason."

"So he goes about enslaving others, just because he was a slave?" Miko said, raising an eyebrow. "That's a pretty twisted and confused way to start a war."

"Maybe he lost his way," Jack suggested. "Maybe he forgot what he was even fighting for."

Miko frowned. "Why are you even defending him?"

"I don't know," he said. "I'm just...trying to figure out what happened."

Miko frowned. "Why now?"

Jack shrugged. "Everything we know is being called into question. And I wonder, if-when, we change the future, will we be helping Megatron too?"

Miko chewed her lip. "Didn't think of it that way. So we're helping the bad guys?"

"We're helping everyone," Jack corrected. He then looked over at Raf who had remained silent. "Raf, everything okay?"

Raf didn't answer, his face pale. Then, to Jack's horror, he started shaking. Jack and Miko were at his side in an instant. "Raf? Raf!" Jack shouted, cradling the smaller boy. He felt his forehead and looked at Miko, panic in his eyes. "He has a fever."

Miko jumped to her feet, and started screaming for Big Red. The Cybertronian came running, took one look at Raf and scooped him up. He cradled the smaller boy near his spark. "Melchnie," he murmured to Raf. "Melchnie."

Raf shifted, a small movement. "T'o't" he mumbled.

Big Red stilled when Raf said that word. That _name_. Then he looked up before scooping Jack and Miko in his hand and striding out of his home. "Where are we going?" Miko whispered as she clung to Raf's hand. The buildings Big Red passed by were a blur to them. All they saw was Raf, in pain, and in need of help.

Jack shook his head. "I don't know. Hopefully to get help." He looked down at Raf, a sense of deja vu coming over him. It was like the Dark Energon all over again. He could still see Raf, pale and unconscious on the med table with his mom and Ratchet working to stabilize him.

Jack fought the panic rising in him as he saw Raf's pale forehead crease with pain. Jack had promised to protect them, he had promised to get them home. He couldn't lose anyone, he wouldn't. "Hang in there Raf," Jack whispered. "We got you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So, I kinda feel like I'm going to reveal Big Red and Rosy's identities in this chapter, which I didn't want to do until later. But this scene (as you will soon read) has got to happen to move the story along. But most of you have already guessed who they are anyway. Why do you readers have to be so smart? (Wink)**

 **Again, major thanks to fanfiction author, Ardent Aspen, since some of their ideas takes place in this chapter. And yes, to answer some of the readers questions, "T'o't" is the Nez Perce word for "Father." Got the idea from Ardent Aspen. Thanks Again!**

 **I do not own anything, just my story idea.**

* * *

Miko wanted to chew on her nails as she watched Dude scan Raf in Big Red's arms. She felt her eyes fill up with tears, but she blinked them away. Crying will not help Raf, she reminded herself. Crying would not help his condition.

Big Red was cradling Raf close to his spark, and Miko was relieved to see a bit of color returning to the little boy's cheeks. But he still remained unconscious. When Dude had completed his scans, he looked back at his data pad. He said something to Big Red who sat down on the berth, taking care not to jostle Raf.

Miko felt Jack tug on her arm, moving her away from Dude. "Jack," she whispered, looking up at him. "What is happening?"

Jack was silent, his eyes hollow. "I don't think...we belong here."

Miko blinked. "What?"

"Think about it. We are now in a time where not even our many great-grandparents are born," he said. "It's not meant to be, we don't exist here. I think it's affecting us."

Miko frowned. "But why hasn't it affected the two of us yet?" But then she stopped. She had also been experiencing a dull headache, but she had thought it was nothing. But didn't Raf start out with a dull headache too?

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because we're older. Or maybe it's because we haven't been affected by Dark Energon." He ran his fingers through his dark hair. "I'm just trying to come up with answers. I just...I don't know."

Miko chewed her lip worriedly. She was used to Jack knowing the answers to a problem and having an idea on what to do. Raf would usually back up Jack's ideas and reason with proof. But Raf was sick, and Jack was uncertain. They were out of their element, out of their time frame. "We don't belong here," she repeated, her voice somber.

The door swung open, and a blur of pink rushed into the room as Rosy ran in. Her voice was hushed as she rushed to Raf, her questions coming out like a rapid fire brigade. Big Red shifted around so Rosy could see better. The femme let out a gasp when she saw him. "Melchnie," she whispered to him as she gently touched his head. "Melchnie."

Dude turned to look at Rosy and Big Red, his face unusually grave. Miko felt sick herself at that look on the medic's face. She felt so hopeless as she listened to the three Cybertronians converse. She had to do something. She had to do something for Raf.

She stepped forward, Jack right behind her, and she could feel his support. That caused a small smile to appear on her face.

She was never alone. Not with them around.

She pulled her notebook out of Raf's backpack, which she had been clinging to ever since they arrived at the doctor's. She let out a cough in an effort to catch the Cybertronian's attention. "T'o't," she said, her reply directed to Big Red. She felt Jack's surprised glance, directed her way. After all, she had used a personal title with someone they didn't even know. But, Miko knew him. She felt safe around Big Red, and she saw how he cared for them. She could read the worry in his optic's as he held Raf and she saw how he kept an optic on them whenever he was around. For her, that was enough.

"Nelchie?" he rumbled as he slowly rose from his seat and kneeling next to her, his gaze locking with hers.

She nodded, feeling tears fall down her face, but she couldn't bring herself to care that she was crying. She flipped open her notebook to the picture of Earth. She pointed to herself, Raf, and Jack before pointing to the picture. "Home," she said, repeating the process once more, hoping he would understand. Looking up, she saw his confused expression, and she quickly flipped to another picture, one of Cybertron when it had been alive. She pointed to the picture and shook her head, before flipping back to Earth and nodding as she pointed to herself. "Home," she repeated, looking up at him with pleading eyes, begging for him to understand.

Big Red was silent, and as the silence stretched, Miko's hopes began to crumble. She quickly flipped back to the Cybertron picture, shaking her head before going back to Earth. "Home!" she repeated firmly, more tears falling down her face. Just as she was about to flip back to the Cybertron picture, Big Red's finger stopped her. She looked up and found understanding in his optic's. He pointed at the planet Earth, then back to the children. Miko nodded excitedly, feeling relief flood through her. Then, unexpectedly, her knees gave way. Big Red caught her as she clung to his finger in for support. She let out a shuddering sigh, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

She heard Dude say something, causing Big Red to stand up, taking Miko with him and placing her next to Raf. Miko carefully settled down near the little boy, not wanting to disturb him. She watched as his breathing evened out, and noted how his skin was no longer pale. She gently touched his forehead, a smile of relief breaking across her features.

"Jack!" she called out softly, who was being carried by Rosy. "His fever feels like it's gone down."

"Thank God!" Jack said, sagging against Rosy as they left the room. Both teens watched as Big Red and Rosy rushed through the streets, going so far as to run right through traffic. One Cybertronian had to stop to avoid hitting Big Red. The Cybertronian transformed and let out a harsh cry, to which Rosy replied back over her shoulder while never breaking a stride.

They soon approached the building Big Red and Rosy worked at, with the red Cybertronian taking the steps two at a time. Big Red swung the doors open, stopping at the front desk only briefly where a turquoise femme looked up in surprise. Big Red said a few curt words before storming through, with the turquoise femme shouting in surprise. Rosy blocked the other femme's path, speaking in soothing tones. The femme blinked, frowning. Rosy gestured to Jack who was clinging to her arms, before she spun on her heel and followed after the retreating Big Red. Surprisingly, the turquoise femme let her go.

If the situation had been normal, Miko would have stared at the scenery around her. Large shelves towered over her, and hover crafts allowed Cybertronians to reach the records and data pads up high. However, Miko did look up to see large doorways blocking their path. It looked to be trimmed with a golden metal and a turquoise stone. Miko didn't have to admire architect to know that the door was stunning. It seemed to glow, as if it had a life of it's own.

She gulped uncomfortably when she noticed the doors were being guarded by two Imperial Guards, their gold armor glittering, even when there was no sun to shine on them. They looked at Big Red with stern expressions, though Big Red strode forward with confidence, as if he did this all the time. In fact, he probably did.

The guards, however, stopped Rosy from going any further. The pink femme didn't seem surprised at that as she handed Jack off to Big Red, though she did seem frustrated. The guards nodded, before opening the heavy looking doors. Miko looked back to see Rosy watching them with a worried expression on her face as the doors closed.

The hallway was long, and lit with the same dark turquoise and blue light. Big Red's pedesteps were the only sound echoing in the area. She looked up to see Big Red striding forward, and she tapped his arm to get his attention. "T'o't?" she asked, putting all her fear and anxiety into the word she uttered.

Big Red looked down at her, his smile chasing away most of her fears. "Nelchie," he answered softly. He then came to a stop at another door, this one smaller than the last. Big Red punched in a code, then he waited a moment before the doors swung open to reveal a dark room with shelves and shelves of data pads. Miko could only stare in shock, Jack's expression mirroring hers. How much knowledge did anyone really need? Raf would have a field day in this place.

It was that very thought that caused her to look down at her friend, who had yet to wake up. She squeezed his hand, hoping that would get a reaction.

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

A sudden soft, yet strong voice startled Jack and Miko, and they both stumbled against Big Red who steadied them. Big Red turned, allowing the children to see another mech walking toward them. His armor was a deep purple, and if Miko really looked, she could see a hint of red styled in his armor. He seemed to have a metal beard, which she found odd. Robots could grow beards?

She decided to call him Gandalf because of that.

Gandalf stopped in front of Big Red, and Miko had to guess that the red mech was explaining whatever happened. Throughout all this, Gandalf stayed silent, though Miko could tell he was listening intently. Finally, Gandalf took a look at Raf, his optic's soft, yet his face revealing no emotion. Miko swallowed uncomfortably as Raf was taken from Big Red, who seemed to be restraining himself from hovering over Gandalf's shoulders. But Raf wasn't separated from Big Red for more than minute before Gandalf handed him back. The words he spoke sounded simple, but if Big Red's expression was to go by anything, he was shocked. He looked down at the three children he was holding in his arms, before looking back at Gandalf who was grinning.

Gandalf said something; actually, by his tone, it sounded more like a question. That seemed to snap Big Red out of his shock, as he gently put Jack and Miko down on a nearby desk while still holding Raf. He then gestured to Miko and the backpack she was holding. Miko frowned, confused.

"Your drawings," Jack whispered. Miko's eyes widened in realization and she quickly unzipped Raf's backpack to pull out the notebook. She flipped to the page of Earth and held it up for Gandalf to see. Both she and Jack were silent as the older mech examined the drawing. As he studied the drawing, Big Red began explaining what he knew, and Miko hoped it was the right explanation. The last thing they needed was something else to deal with, like being mistaken for test subjects or something.

Gandalf, to Miko's surprise, delicatly flipped a page to reveal the drawing of Optimus and Megatron fighting. He was silent, and Miko could see Big Red's optics widen as he took in the picture. Miko felt a small sense of pride; she really had outdone herself in this one.

Then Gandalf flipped over to another page, before Miko could stop him. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What?" Jack asked her. "Oh no what?"

"It's the picture of Cybertron," she answered, not daring to meet the Cybertronians gaze.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"The 'dead' Cybertron," she answered. Jack's eyes widened.

"But isn't that a good thing?" he asked.

"At first, I guess. But do you know how they could interpret it and think it for something else? We are not even prepared to explain a 'dead' Cybertron." Jack fell silent at that statement.

Gandalf kneeled down to their eye level, optics never leaving the picture. Miko had to wonder if he was in shock, though his face still revealed no emotion. Yep, she had definitely outdone herself in this grim picture too. Why did she have to be so talented?

Both Cybertronians were silent, until Big Red looked at her. "Nelchie? Lechnie?" Both Miko and Jack winced at their new names, knowing that they were being questioned for the drawing.

Gandalf spoke up, directing his answers to Big Red. Miko shut the notebook, putting it back in Raf's backpack, knowing they were done looking at it. She beamed happily. Finally! Some action was being taken!

* * *

Miko groaned. "What time is it?" she grumbled.

Jack glared at her. "Well, I don't exactly know, since the time here is different. By my estimation, you just asked me that twenty minutes ago. But it feels like we've been here a while."

Miko felt like he was punishing her with his 'professor' lecture.

"We might've been here for three hours," Jack continued. "But it might be shorter, since we have nothing to do and boredom does drag out time-"

"Okay, okay profesor, I get it," Miko interrupted. "We might be stuck in here forever while Big Red and Gandalf talk about my talent in art."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Gandalf?"

"Yep," she replied simply. "Gotta call him something."

Jack was silent for another moment, and just when Miko could feel the silence choking her, he spoke up. "I wonder how Raf's doing."

Miko looked up, trying to spot her little friend in Big Red's arms. "I don't know. But Big Red doesn't seem too concerned now."

Jack nodded. "You called Big Red 'T'o't'."

Miko sat up. "It just...it felt right for some reason. You know?"

Jack said nothing before smiling, looking back at Big Red. "Yeah, I know."

Miko smiled. "Bulkhead taught me that."

Jack nodded, grinning fondly. "I remember."

There was more silence, aside from Big Red and Gandalf's conversation. Just when Miko felt like she was going to poke her eyes out, Big Red got up from his seat with a polite nod to Gandalf. Miko jumped to her feat. "Finally!" she shouted. "You're hear to rescue us!" She held up her hands, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Big Red chuckled at her eagerness as he scooped up Jack and Miko.

Big Red and Gandalf exchanged a few words before the red mech left. Miko felt like bouncing with excitement as the doors swung open and they left the hallway. To her disappointment, Rosy wasn't there. But the guards were, still giving off their intense glares.

The place was silent, and Miko was surprised to see how dark it was, with only a few lights on the walls. Now one was working, and Miko wondered if everyone had gone home.

Outside, Miko could see how the clouds were darkening, another sign of more acid rain coming. A joyful shout caught Miko's attention, and she turned to see Rosy rush toward them. Miko smiled happily. "I knew you wouldn't leave us!" she said as Rosy looked them over with concerned chirps.

Big Red gestured to the darkening clouds above them. Rosy nodded before the two of them quickly broke out into a run. Miko and Jack bounced around, suddenly nervous at the sudden speed in running. It was then Miko realized that they were the only ones on the street. Everyone else had already gone inside or taken shelter.

A sharp, burning pain seared through her arm, and Miko pulled back with a yelp. She looked down at the burn in her arm.

"Not good," she heard Jack mumble.

Big Red shifted his arms, shielding the children from the deadly rain. Jack quickly covered Miko and Raf, wincing when some of the acid rain hit his back. Miko could hear the burning 'hiss' as the acid hit Big Red. The Cybertronian grunted, but pushed on until they finally reached his home. Rosy punched in the access code franticly, the doors creaking and groaning before opening. They stumbled inside and out of the light rain, both Cybertronians breathing heavily.

They stayed there like that, in the hallway doing nothing. Miko looked up at Big Red with concern, noting how his armor looked burnt and smoking. Rosy didn't look too good either, and the way their armor was damaged reminded Miko of how the Autobots looked after the scraplet attack.

Miko gently touched Big Red's arm, catching his attention. She smiled softly at him, which he returned. Getting up from his position, he headed for his apartment room with Rosy following. Miko had never felt more happy to be indoors, where it was safe and dry. Apparently, Big Red and Rosy felt the same. The pink femme came over and gently took Jack and Miko from Big Red, who had sat down at the table. The two teenagers were set down, and Big Red allowed them to see Raf, who stirred in his sleep.

"Hey," Miko said softly to him, which was unusual for her. "Wake up sleepy head."

"We need you Raf," Jack said. "Please wake up."

Miko felt more tears travel down her cheeks, and she could see Jack was also crying. "You're safe now," Jack said. "We've got you."

"Gah, I'm not dying," Raf muttered, opening his eyes, smiling.

Miko squealed, trying to jump up and give him a hug. Big Red kneeled down, allowing her to clamber up and jump on Raf. "Don't you ever do that again," she scolded, tears in her eyes.

Jack was also there, hugging Raf and looking him over for any injures. "We need to put a protective bubble around you," Jack joked, earning a giggle from Raf. The older boy frowned. "Any headaches or pain? Does anything hurt?"

Raf shook his head, though Miko noted how he wasn't moving away from Big Red's spark chamber. "Nothing really hurts. I just feel tired now."

Miko sent Jack a look, wondering if she should ask the question that was burning in both of their minds. When Jack shrugged, she took that as a positive sign. "What happened?" she asked Raf.

Raf frowned, and Miko quickly assumed that now was not the time to have asked that question, but Raf's expression was thoughtful. "I...don't know," he confessed. "It started out as a headache yesterday, but they always seemed to go away whenever Big Red or Rosy held me. I wasn't too worried about it."

Jack looked at him worriedly. "Did you wake up with a headache?"

"No," Raf said. "Just a dull throb. But before I blacked out, my stomach hurt, and the headache came back in full force. It was worse than before, I felt as if someone was drilling a hole in my head and trying to pull me back towards something. I felt like I was...slipping away. But...I wasn't supposed to...I guess, go back?" He sighed in confusion. "I don't know."

"Jack think's it's because we don't belong here," Miko spoke up.

Raf looked at her. "What?"

"We are out of our time frame, which means we don't exist yet," Jack explained. "I think that's why this is happening."

Raf frowned. "But why is it affecting only me?"

Jack shrugged. "Maybe it's because you're younger?"

"Actually," Miko spoke up, deciding to reveal what she had been dwelling on. "I was also having a headache this morning. But it wasn't bad, just annoying." She paused, noticing the stares she was getting. "Just...thought I should let you know."

"That's how I started out," Raf pointed out.

She nodded. "I know. That's why I said something."

They were silent, and Miko looked up to see Big Red and Rosy speaking to each other in hushed whispers. "Did your headaches stop when the Cybertronians held you?" she heard Jack ask.

Raf nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

Miko frowned. "You guess?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "Well, whenever Big Red would hold me, the headaches would go away. And I never experienced any migraines when I was with Rosy."

"Because you were always on her shoulder when she was working," Jack said in understanding.

"So, what does this mean?" Miko asked.

"It means we need to stay with Big Red and Rosy," Jack said. "Or at least, avoid being separated for long periods of time."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Miko said with a wink. "We can be needy and still look adorable."

"I think that's what Gandalf and Big Red were talking about," Jack said suddenly.

Raf frowned. "Who's Gandalf?"

Jack and Miko explained everything to him while the sudden loud sounds of the storm raged outside. Miko wondered if the acid rain could eat through the buildings. She certainly hoped not.

After the explanation, Raf blinked in surprise. "I sure missed a lot," he said.

Miko shrugged. "That's what happens when you're knocked out, and stuff."

The time past by slowly, too slowly for Miko. All Big Red and Rosy did was watch the children, and the children weren't exactly entertaining. All they did was sit, or in Miko's case, pace around.

"Augh!" she exclaimed. "I need to do something!"

Jack brightened up. "The pictures on your phone!"

Miko stopped her pacing, understanding dawning on her. "Good idea!" She quickly pulled out her phone and scrolled through her pictures. She stopped when she came to a picture of Bulkhead. "Hey Rosy!" she shouted, catching the pink femme's attention. "Have you seen this guy?" She asked, showing the two Cybertronians the picture. Rosy leaned in, her optics narrowing as she looked at the small picture. Big Red peeked over her shoulder to see what she was looking at.

"Or how about her?" Jack asked, showing a picture of Arcee on his phone. Rosy blinked in surprise, pulling back with a frown.

They tried showing the pictures to the Bot's on Raf's computer. But that only seemed to earn them more confusion.

"Do you think they're getting it?" Miko asked.

Jack's disappointed frown was all the answer she needed. "Never mind," she said to the Bot's, glancing up at them.

"We'll have to come up with something better," Jack suggested with a sigh. He then looked at Raf. "Could you find a way to give them a small message? Like a warning?"

Raf frowned, deep in thought. "I could probably leave a message that has Optimus's name."

"The name of a 'Prime' might catch some attention," Jack agreed.

"How about the way you communicate with Bumblebee?" Miko asked. "Could you just repeat the conversations you guys have?"

Raf didn't answer for a while. "I...could try to figure it out. But I don't really know how I can even understand Bee. I just do." He nodded firmly. "But I'll work on it."

"Good," Jack said. "At least it's something."

The only sound for the next few minutes was Raf's typing and Miko's pacing. She could faintly hear Big Red and Rosy arguing, or at least, it sounded like arguing. But it didn't sound serious, since Big Red sounded amused, yet firm. Finally, Big Red got up from his seat. Rosy sighed tiredly, glaring at him. The mech only smiled at her triumphantly. Miko guessed he won the argument that they were having.

"What's going on?" Miko asked as Rosy picked her up. She looked back to see Big Red holding the two boys. She frowned. Why were they being separated? She noticed Rosy was heading into Big Red's room while the red Cybertronian had stayed in the main room with Jack and Raf.

Rosy settled down on the large berth, cradling Miko close. It was then Miko understood a bit of what was going on. Rosy couldn't leave because of the acid rain, so Big Red offered his room. At least, that's what Miko assumed. Maybe that was what their argument was about. But that still didn't explain why they had decided to split the kids.

Rosy laid her helm down and went still, allowing Miko to get comfortable. For one moment, Miko felt like a dog who would turn in circles until they found that right spot for sleeping. But she found that the warmest spot was near Rosy's spark. She remembered Jack's warning about the headaches and decided that she might as well settle near Rosy's spark anyway.

Miko closed her eyes, the soft thrum of the Cybertronian spark comforting her. She felt Rosy place her large servo over Miko, as if to shield her. But she didn't feel tired, so instead, she listened to the rhythm of Rosy's breathing, and the feeling of metal that was alive and caring. "Today was stressful," she muttered. Rosy only stroked her back, but Miko had a feeling she was listening. "At least there are something's going right, I think." She looked up at Rosy, who tilted her helm up to look at the human she was holding. Huh, Miko never noticed how blue Rosy's optics were. They looked so bright, so pure.

Miko smiled, determination filling her chest. "We are going to save you," she promised.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for reviewing! The comments make me smile, it really means alot to me.**

 **'Kireina' is Japanese for 'Pretty'. Kansha is Japanese for 'Thanks'.**

* * *

The acid rain had slowed down to a drizzle, but even that was deadly to a Cybertronian. So everyone was stuck indoors.

Raf could tell Miko was going a bit stir-crazy. He could see the way she was pacing around; he wouldn't be surprised if she wore through the table they were on.

Big Red was at his computer, his optics scanning the screen before him. Rosy was sitting at the table, and Raf could tell she was getting bored too. He sighed, looking back down at his computer screen. He couldn't quite understand how he could communicate with Bumblebee. It wasn't Cybertronian, he had heard the Autobots speak to each other in their native language, and Optimus had been teaching him how to understand the sounds. Was it Cybertronian Morse Code? That seemed most likely. Pity he never asked Ratchet about it. Bumblebee was still sensitive about the loss of his voice, and Raf hadn't wanted to bring back any bad memories just by asking.

Now he kinda wished he had asked. This situation was a matter of life or death.

A quick glance to his computer showed that he was running low on battery. He had maybe less the ten percent of power left before his computer died. "Use it wisely," he muttered to himself. He quickly shut his computer when it dropped to nine percent. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. This wasn't going too well.

He looked up, watching Big Red. He wondered if he could access a Cybertronian computer. Maybe type in a name or something. He knew what symbols to look for, it would just be a bit hard to reach them. His eyes drifted over to his two friends as a plan began to form.

Problem solved.

He smiled. "I have an idea," he called out. The look of hope and excitement on their faces when they heard those words filled his heart with joy. As he explained his idea, a look of determination crossed all their features. Yes, they will make it happen. They will make it work.

* * *

"Do you think we'll still know each other?" Miko asked suddenly.

Raf looked at her. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "I mean, the Autobots brought us together. But without them, will we still be friends?"

Raf was silent. To be honest, he didn't know. Jack had been a friendly face in a crowd, Miko brought a lot of attention to herself, and that was something Raf tried to avoid. But, during the time they got to know each other, he found that he was scared of forgetting them. The very thought of passing Jack and Miko in the halls and not remembering who they were to him; how could you even forget the people you loved?

"We would still have to figure out how to even get back to Earth," Jack said.

"But what if it wasn't just a ground bridge malfunction?" Miko asked. "What if we were brought here for a reason?"

"Miko," Raf started. "The ground bridge we traveled through malfunctioned while Ratchet was testing it for a possible space bridge. A number of things could have caused us to end up here."

Miko shrugged. "Still, how is it that we happen to show up at the time when Cybertron was still at peace? We might be here for a purpose."

Jack frowned thoughtfully. "Why would you think we are here for a reason?"

Miko was silent for a moment before lowering her head, her dark hair hiding her face. "I just...if we are here for a reason, then when we go back, maybe we'll still remember each other."

Jack smiled softly, and Raf felt his heart swell with love for his friends. "We won't forget," Jack said, determined. He pulled out his phone. "Here," he said, showing his list of contacts on the phone. "I have you two on here. When we go home, I am never letting this go. I will look at my phone and know you two are important to me. I will search for you and I will find you. I promise."

Raf stared at his friend, moved by the promise. There was a fire in Jack's eyes. He never made promises he couldn't keep. His friends and family came first, always. "I love you guy's," Raf found himself saying. And he meant it.

Jack and Miko looked at him, Miko's a look of surprise, Jack's with understanding. "We're family," Jack said. "Family sticks together."

"Not even the rift of Time can keep us apart," Miko said firmly.

A startled shout startled them all, and the children turned to see Rosy and Big Red...attacking each other?

"Rosy's finally gone crazy," Miko muttered in awe. "All this confinement has really gotten to her."

Raf adjusted his glasses. "I think they're sparring."

It did look like they were sparring. Rosy was in what Raf could only think of as a martial arts stance. Big Red rushed at her, but Rosy dodged his punches. There was nothing vicious or desperate in the fighting, but rather friendly competition. Rosy's optics were narrowed in concentration, as were Big Red's. But, to everyone's surprise, Rosy winked at Big Red, causing the mech to freeze. That was all Rosy needed. She quickly kicked Big Red's feet out from under him, causing him to fall on his back near the table the children were on. Rosy leapt on him, preventing him from getting up.

"Score one for Rosy!" Miko cheered.

Rosy looked up, and Raf could swear there was a mischievous glint in her optics. She reached her servo out, and Raf took the invitation and climbed onto her servo. Then Rosy smirked, before tickling Big Red's neck. The red mech's optics widened before he let out a choked laugh. Rosy then gently put Raf down, and the boy understood what he was to do. Raf giggled as he tickled the sensitive spot on Big Red's neck, the sounds of his laughter filling the room.

"Oh! I want some of that action!" Miko squealed. Pretty soon, all three kids were on Big Red, tickling him, while Rosy held him in place. Raf could tell Big Red was trying to restrain himself from squirming too much, so as not to hurt the children. But his armor was shaking from the laughter.

"Had enough?" Miko said with a grin, looking at the bigger Cybertronian.

Jack was also laughing as he collapsed against Big Red's chassis. "I can't believe we tickled a Cybertronian!"

"Me neither," Miko giggled, leaning against Rosy's leg, who was still sitting on top of Big Red. "I wonder if we could do that to the Con's," she said.

Jack laughed. "Could you see Optimus suddenly tickling Megatron?" That earned a round of laughter, while Big Red and Rosy watched the children with smiles on their faces. Rosy hummed softly, gently stroking Jack's raven hair. Jack sighed. "That feels good," he commented.

Raf frowned thoughtfully before carefully making his way up Big Red's neck. Then, as far as he could reach, he gently rubbed the side of Big Red's helm. He could feel the Cybertronian thrum with pleasure, and he could see his optics close in content.

"I'll have to remember that for Bee," Raf said as he continued to rub the soft spot. Then he blinked. Bumblebee won't be there on Earth. He'll be on Cybertron once they figured out how to change the past for a better future.

Miko came over and joined Raf in rubbing Big Red's helm. "I bet the Autobots would love this," she said.

A loud 'boom' from outside startled everyone. Jack somehow wound up in Rosy's arms, who was holding him protectively. Big Red held his large servo over Raf and Miko, as if to shield them. Rosy carefully got up from Big Red, and Raf and Miko slid to the floor, allowing Big Red to get up. He kneeled down, allowing the children to climb onto his servos. He followed Rosy to the large seat, and Raf assumed it was the couch.

Rosy leaned into Big Red when he sat down, and the children relaxed on Big Red's lap. Now that they worked out all their pent up energy, even Miko was ready to settle down. "If it continues to rain," Miko muttered as she leaned against Jack. "I will declare war on Primus."

Jack chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his friends, pulling them in. Raf snuggled against the older boy, closing his eyes. "It's always a good time with you two," he heard Jack say.

"And don't you forget it," Miko muttered.

* * *

Raf felt someone gently shake him awake, and he looked up to see Big Red wide awake. He was gently getting up, doing his best not to wake up Rosy. Jack stirred in his sleep as Big Red walked out of the room with the three children in his arms. Miko muttered something in her sleep that didn't sound English. Raf couldn't tell if it was Japanese, or what little Cybertronian she knew.

Raf was wide awake when they stepped outside. It was still dark, but it wasn't raining. "Where we going?" Jack mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know," Raf answered. Miko somehow slept through it all though.

The buildings they passed were tall and dark, and Big Red didn't stop until he came to a certain building. It looked abandoned, from what Raf could tell. Big Red entered through the open doorway before hurrying up a flight of stairs. Raf started to feel a bit nervous as the dark shadows jumped out at him. He pressed against Jack, who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Big Red stepped through a small opening before stepping out onto the roof. He then stepped near the edge before sitting down, his legs dangling over the edge. He kept a secure hold on the children though. Raf looked up and out over the city, stunned by how big the buildings were and how they were designed. They were so high up, and the wind gently caressed his face.

Big Red pointed to a section where there were no buildings at all, but just open space and land. Where the dark sky was, there were clouds that bled the brightest red and purple Raf had ever seen. He gasped at the sight of the colorful sunrise.

Raf nudged Miko awake, who jolted up. "Wha-what's going-?" she stopped, looking at the bleeding sky. She gasped, clambering up to get a better view. _"Kireina,_ " Miko mumbled in awe. Raf could only nod. There were colors that he couldn't describe, and the clouds created a dark purple along with colors his eyes did not recognize. The shiny buildings shone reds and yellows as the sun slowly climbed up the colorful sky. The colors seemed alive, and only a talented artist could hope to capture the beauty before them.

They did nothing but sit and and watch. Only when the last color of red faded from the sky and the city began to wake up did Big Red leave the roof with the children. They didn't say anything for a while, all trying to capture the moment again and keep it in their memories. It was Miko who broke the silence when they were nearing Big Red's place. "How can people sleep through something like that!?" she exclaimed.

Jack shook his head. "I'm inspired to be an artist."

Raf looked up at Big Red. "Thank you," he said.

Jack and Miko looked up at the Cybertronian. "Yes," Jack said. "Thank you."

" _Kansha,_ " Miko said, her eyes shimmering with thankfulness.

Big Red cocked his head, though understanding shone in his optics. He quietly entered his home and they all peeked in to see Rosy still asleep on the couch. Big Red smirked before gently placing the children on the pink femme's stomach.

"Hey!" Miko shouted as she scrambled up. "Wake up Rosy!" She thumped the pink femme on the helm. Rosy only mumbled in her sleep before turning over, causing the children to fall on the large couch.

"You missed a great light show!" Miko said, tapping Rosy's back. "Your boyfriend sure knows how to impress his guests."

Big Red chuckled as he gently tickled Rosy's neck. She swatted his servo away, grumbling as she curled herself up in a ball. Big Red tutted before picking Rosy up, who let out a startled squeal. She glared at the mech who quickly put her down. Rosy's expression turned to one of happiness when she turned her attention to the children. Miko, not caring that the Cybertronians couldn't understand her, chattered on about the sunrise. Raf and Jack soon joined her, while Rosy listened intently.

* * *

"What to do, what to do?" Miko hummed to herself.

Jack looked up at her. "Not get in trouble, that's what you should do."

Miko scoffed. "I don't get into trouble. It's the Cons who get us in trouble."

"And yet, there are no Cons around," Jack pointed out. They were at Rosy and Big Red's work and the day was proceeding as normal. Raf was in front of Rosy's keypad, trying to let the femme know that he wanted to use it. The plan was to get Raf to use one of the computers and type in 'Optimus Prime'. Hopefully the name 'Prime' would catch Rosy's attention.

Problem was, Miko didn't see how she could be of use to them now. So, she came up with the perfect idea that it would be best for her to scout out the area.

"I'll be back," she said suddenly.

Jack pounced on her in an instant. "Oh no you don't," he warned. "We are not going to lose our 'out of the box privileges' because of you."

Miko huffed. "Alright."

Jack glared at her, not looking away. Miko shrugged before sitting down, watching the coming and going of Cybertronians. Jack was not fooled, he knew Miko. It was like having to watch a child all the time with her.

"Uh, Jack," Raf called out. "I think I need you."

Of course he would. Right when Miko was up to no good. Miko shot him an innocent look. "Go ahead Jack," she said.

He felt torn. On the one hand, he knew that if he left Miko alone, she would get into trouble. On the other hand, what could he do? An idea came to him, and he grinned.

"You're coming with me," Jack announced.

Miko looked up at him. "Um, I don't want to."

He nodded. "Yes, you do," he said, dragging her towards Raf.

Miko grumbled as she watched Jack and Raf discuss the symbols on the screen. She couldn't get away, since Jack was looking over his shoulder at her every twenty seconds.

She smirked. He should have made it ten, because twenty seconds was all she needed to make her escape. When Jack turned to look closer at the screen, Miko bolted. She came to a stop at the edge of the desk, looking down. She winced, knowing that would be a very painful fall, possibly deadly.

The desk had interesting designs carved into it. Which was perfect for Miko to use to climb down. It reminded her a lot like rock climbing, which Miko loved to do as one of her hobbies. The climb down the large desk didn't take as long as she expected, but it wasn't as quick as she would have liked. Jumping onto the metal floor, she looked around, everything towering above her. Her heart accelerated with excitement. This was it! She could finally explore, maybe even take some pictures.

Rosy's desk was located near the entrance, and Miko could see the towering doors ahead of her. She then looked down at the steps, before turning around and heading toward the large shelves containing the data pads.

* * *

Jack frowned. "But that looks like the right symbol," he argued, pointing to one of the keys.

Raf shook his head. "It looks like it, but something about it seems off."

Jack sighed. "Does it matter?" he asked.

Raf looked at him like that was the dumbest thing he could have ever asked. "We might put in the wrong word instead of 'Optimus Prime' if we press the wrong symbol. It would be like putting a 'W' in a word when you needed a 'V'."

Jack rubbed his forehead. "Alright, then what symbol looks right to you?"

Raf frowned, scanning the many keys before him that Rosy was typing on. "Well, again, it's like a 'W' and a 'V'. The symbols look almost the same. But there are obvious differences."

Jack raised an eyebrow. He couldn't spot any of those obvious differences. But Raf knew what he was doing, and Jack decided not to press it. He glanced up at Rosy, noting that it was almost time to leave, since the femme seemed to be shutting down her computer. He looked over his shoulder to glance at Miko. When he couldn't see her anywhere, he began to panic.

"Uh, Raf," he started. "I lost Miko."

Raf's head shot up as he looked around with worry. "How could you lose Miko?"

Jack got up, hoping to spot the girl. But she was nowhere to be seen. He groaned. "When will she ever learn?" he muttered.

* * *

Miko happily watched the many Cybertronians going about their work. They didn't even notice her as she hid underneath their seats and desks. There was so much to see! A large doorway before her caught her attention, and Miko frowned. Didn't she just come that way? But she didn't see Rosy at the desk. Instead, it was another mech.

That's when Miko began to worry. Did they leave her? She pushed that thought away. Of course they didn't. Her absence would have been noted. With that thought in mind, Miko's worry went away. She strolled toward the front desk, crawling underneath the desks. She looked out at the glass door that shimmered as the sunlight shone through it.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the Cybertronian reaching for her. But she did notice the sudden shadow. Looking up, she let out a squeak as she stared up at the large being.

She would recognize that faceless mech anywhere.

Miko spurred into action, jumping out of the mech's reach. She ran, dodging another swipe from the Cybertronian as he tried to catch her. She slid underneath an empty desk, scrambling into the corner. Her heart pumped into her chest as she saw the mech get on his servos and knees to look at her.

Miko glared, filled with fury. "Not used to losing to a fleshling, huh, Con?" she growled, staring at Soundwave.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Sorry, guys. I will be doing another story based on Rosy's and Big Red's point of view. Let me know what you guys would like to read in that one, like the Bots interaction with the kids, etc...**

 **Thanks for the reviews, it means a lot to me.**

 **I do not own Transformers.**

* * *

Jack immediately pulled out his phone when he felt it ringing. "Hello? Miko?" he demanded, only to hear static. He checked the number to confirm that it was indeed Miko. "Miko? Are you alright?" he shouted into the phone, catching Rosy's attention.

"Jack?" Raf asked worriedly.

"Something's wrong," Jack muttered, panic gripping his heart. He turned to Rosy who had just noticed that Miko was missing. "Rosy!" he shouted. "Nelchnie," he said, repeating Miko's Cybertronian name. "Nelchnie?" Hoping for a response from the Cybertronian, he saw the panic and worry in her optics when he said Miko's name.

Rosy scooped the boys off before breaking out into a run in search of Miko.

* * *

"I'm near one of the entrances!" Miko shouted into her phone. "I'm being attacked by Soundwave!" When nothing but static answered her, she shut her phone off with a growl. "Fine, then I guess it's just you and me, Con."

When Soundwave's hand came close enough, she kicked it, causing him to draw back, though she knew it had only startled him. Then, she pulled out the same pepper spray she had used on the cyclops bot when they had first arrived. When Soundwave stuck his helm under the desk, she pepper sprayed him, though it didn't have the desired effect since his optics were protected by his visor.

Miko huffed, frustrated. Backup wasn't coming, so it was up to her to wreck some damage. She grinned. Luckily, that's what Wreckers do.

Sudden pain in her head caused her to yelp. She clutched her head, the migraine pounding her skull. Tears spilled down her face as she silently cried in pain. She let out a breath, memories of Raf, unconscious because he was seperated from Big Red and Rosy for too long. But she had only been gone for less than a minute! Was her situation that dire?

Invisible claws tore up her insides, and Miko felt like she was being pulled back into a void of darkness. She tried to scramble away. She couldn't go there! Something was wrong there; something was off. It was empty, and it would consume her if she fell into its darkness.

A wave of sickness swarmed over her, and she doubled over in pain. "Please," she whimpered, feeling a soft, warm presence approaching, pulling her away from the empty darkness. "Help me." But the presence felt so far away, so far…

* * *

Jack growled in frustration. "Miko's not answering her phone!" Rosy, however, seemed to know where to go, her steps sure and hurried. Jack felt a flash of panic that was not his own, and it scared him.

"There!" Raf pointed. "Those two Cybertronians are looking at something under a desk!"

Jack frowned, looking at the two large mechs with hope. The slim one was crawling under the desk, while the larger one was observing, letting out nervous clicks. "Isn't that Buster?" he asked, pointing to the larger mech.

Raf perked up. "It is!" he exclaimed.

Rosy spotted Buster and took off running toward him. Buster looked up and started speaking rapidly to the femme. Rosy sighed with relief before handing Jack and Raf over to the large, silver mech, her expression determined.

She tapped the other mech on the shoulder, causing him to crawl out from under the desk. Rosy then scooted over before crawling under the desk herself. The slim mech straightened up before turning to look at the children Buster was cradling in his arms. Both boys froze up in horror. "Soundwave," Raf whimpered.

* * *

Miko had to admit that Soundwave was persistent, as he was halfway underneath the desk before he was suddenly pulled back. Then a slim, pink servo reached under the desk, followed by Rosy who looked at Miko with concern. The warm, familiar presence flooded in, and Miko realized that it had been Rosy who had sent the comforting feeling.

"Rosy!" Miko whimpered in relief as the pink femme scooped her up before crawling out. The light nearly blinded Miko, but the soothing warmth of Rosy's spark chased away the sudden pain. The femme seemed to know what Miko needed, and just held her close, allowing the girl to cling to her. She held onto Rosy, as if she was the only being in the world who could keep her safe.

"Rosy! Look out! It's Soundwave!" Miko shrieked, her strength returning. She was not going to allow her weakness to be Rosy's downfall! "Beat him up!" She then noticed Buster, who was holding Jack and Raf. "Good," she sighed in relief. "We got back-up." She smirked up at Soundwave. "We gotcha outnumbered!"

"Uh, Miko," Jack called out a bit shaken. "Soundwave's not a Con yet, remember?"

Miko blinked. "Oh, right." She still glared at the soon to be spymaster. "I still don't trust him." Soundwave still looked the same, like he never got an upgrade. Though he didn't seem to need an upgrade at all. He was still tall and silent, his masked face observing them; the one familiar being that they had come across so far in this world.

"Then you're going to really hate who I think Buster is," Raf muttered. Buster handed the children over to Rosy and Raf and Jack were all to grateful to be back in her arms.

Miko looked at them, confused. "What's got you guys so spooked?"

Before the boys could answer, Big Red entered the scene with a worried expression. Rosy quickly showed him the children, which she soon handed over to him. Raf looked up into the kind, blue optics who were observing him with concern. The optics that looked so familiar, so noble.

Raf swallowed, hope rising in his chest as he dared to wonder at such a possible chance. "Optimus?" he asked.

Miko and Jack stared at the red mech in surprise, both their mouths hanging open. "No way," Jack muttered.

"Optimus Prime has a girlfriend!" Miko screamed, startling the four Cybertronians. Soundwave reached over to pat Miko on the head, only to have the girl push his fingers away. "Back off Con, we're enemies, remember?"

"Big Red is Optimus Prime," Jack repeated, as if he couldn't believe it. But taking a closer look at him, Jack could see the similarities. The shape of the helm, the color scheme, even the way he carried himself when he moved reminded Jack of Optimus. Then of course, there was the library which was were Big Red worked at as an archivist, no doubt. No, wait, not Big Red: Optimus Prime.

The similarities were so obvious, that Jack wanted to kick himself for not seeing it sooner.

"If Soundwave and Optimus are here," Raf said slowly. "Then I'm willing to bet that-"

"Buster is Megatron!" Miko screamed, staring at the silver mech. Then she paused. "Megatron...cuddled with us."

Jack shuddered. "That's so weird."

Miko frowned. "Then who's Rosy?"

Jack rubbed his head, gazing at the pink femme who was chatting with Buster, er, Megatron. "She might be someone we don't know yet," he confessed.

"But we do know she's Optimus's girlfriend," Miko commented.

Jack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And what makes you think that?"

Miko stared at him as if he was blind. "Don't you see how they treat one another? It's more than just friendship!"

"I wonder why we've never heard Optimus mention her," Raf said.

Jack was silent, not wanting to say it out loud. "Maybe...it's because something happens to her."

That caused the children to fall silent as they all glanced over at Rosy who laughed at whatever Megatron said. Was he the reason for Rosy's demise? And here they all were, chatting like old friends, which they probably were. Megatron even nudged Optimus playfully, causing the red mech to roll his optics in annoyance.

Jack blinked, before shaking his head. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't know for sure that Big Red really is Optimus."

Miko pulled out her phone. "Only one way to find out." Then she dialed Optimus's number. After a few seconds of waiting, Big Red jerked back painfully, rubbing his helm. He groaned, pain evident in his voice.

"Miko," Jack said urgently. "Stop it, I think you're hurting him!" The girl quickly snapped her phone shut, a guilty look on her face.

Megatron placed a servo on Optimus's shoulder, before taking Raf from him, freeing up the red mech's left servo.

Raf let out a startled squeak as he found himself being held by the soon to be warlord. He looked up into the bright, clear blue optics. Blue! Instead of blood red optics. It still didn't ease Raf's nerves, but it helped him realize that Megatron did not start out evil and that he didn't mean them any harm.

Miko's startled yelp caused him to look up and see the girl getting picked up by Soundwave, who then started to stroke her hair soothingly. Miko looked confused, and a little annoyed, her head being pulled back with every pat. "Alright, I get it," Miko huffed. "You like my hair."

Despite himself, Raf chuckled. Indeed, it did seem like Soundwave really did like Miko's hair. He twirled a loose strand of Miko's pink hair before lightly patting her on the head. The look on Miko's face was one of pure shock. Even Raf was having a hard time believing that the once scary spymaster was cuddling with the girl.

Big Red/Optimus Prime led the others out the building and into the busy outdoors. Miko was still being held by Soundwave, and Raf was starting to wonder if the mech would ever let her go. But than, Rosy came in and took Miko from him, shaking a finger at her as if to scold the human for leaving the desk. Raf frowned, noticing how the girl snuggled up to Rosy's chassis, a look of pain flickering over her features.

"What were you thinking?" Jack hissed when he was within hearing distance.

Miko frowned. "I was thinking that it would be a good idea to scout out the place."

"But we never leave Rosy's desk in the first place!" he nearly shouted.

Miko huffed. "So I got a little bored."

"A little?" Jack said with a raised eyebrow. "Did you even stop to think what could have happened to you?"

Miko frowned. "Well, I-"

"You could have been stepped on," Jack interrupted. "You could have gotten lost, or taken by some other Cybertronian."

"But none of that happened!" Miko protested. She decided now was not the time to tell him about her sudden headaches. That would only freak him out even more, and she did not need that right now.

"But it could have," Jack argued. He looked like he was about to say more before Megatron took Jack from Optimus. Jack's eyes widened with fear as he noticed the silver mech examining him. "Uh, hi," he said.

Megatron frowned before brightening up, the expression looking so out of place for Jack. He never saw the warlord smile! But this looked genuine and real, full of happiness. The mech turned and said something to Optimus who only smiled.

"I don't think he's going to hurt us," Raf muttered.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I think I got that."

They approached a small building, and it looked like the same one Rosy, Big Red and the smaller, silver mech had went into before being chased by the Imperial Guards. Jack swallowed uncomfortably as they went near the back in a large booth, the situation feeling somewhat familiar. Drinks were served to the four Cybertronians, though none of them touched their beverages, all conversing in low, urgent tones. To Jack's surprise, Megatron's grip tightened almost protectively around the two boys. Whatever they were talking about, it had to be serious.

Jack noticed how Soundwave seemed to hover over the three bots, almost like he was keeping an eye out for any danger. He noticed how the mech's servos would curl into a fist whenever someone passed by, almost like he was expecting a fight.

"It's like he's Megatron's bodyguard," Raf commented.

Miko, who was still being held by Rosy, scoffed. "As if he even needs one." Jack had to agree on that. But maybe things had been different, maybe Megatron needed protecting.

Raf brightened up suddenly. "I just realized something! Optimus showed me what his original name looked like. If I can type that down somewhere, that would surely catch their attention."

"It would show them that we can at least communicate with them to some extent," Jack said, excited.

Raf shook his head. "Not only that, but I think I figured out how Bee communicated with me."

Jack frowned. "How?"

Raf scratched his head, deep in thought. "It's almost like Cybertronian morse code, I guess."

Jack shook his head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you can do it."

"We could talk to them!" Miko squeaked happily. However, her sudden squeaking caught Soundwave's attention, who hovered over Rosy's shoulder to get a look at the girl. Miko frowned at him. "Okay, this is kinda creepy. It's like he's stalking me."

To her surprise, she was scooped up by the spymaster, again. Miko shook a finger at him once she regained her balance. "Look, this thing you think we have, it ain't gonna work out. We're on opposite sides. You're a Decepticon, I'm an Autobot Wrecker. It just isn't meant to be," she said, smiling sweetly up at him.

Jack and Raf's mouths were open in shock. "Did...did you just break up with a Decepticon?" Jack stuttered.

Miko shrugged, flipping her hair. "What can I say? I am quite a catch." Jack choked at that statement while Raf giggled in amusement.

"Maybe that's how the war started," Raf teased. "Soundwave was heartbroken over his sudden breakup."

Miko grinned. "I'll have to call him sometime, just to make sure he's still not in denial."

Jack shook his head in amusement. Yep, there was never a dull moment with his friends. He glanced over and noticed how Miko never seemed to be too far from Rosy, almost like she was nervous.

"Miko," he started. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Miko looked like she was about to respond swiftly, before she stopped. Her eyes clouded over before she nodded her head. "When I was under the desk, I...had one of those headaches."

Jack blinked. "What? But you weren't gone that long!"

Miko nodded, fear in her eyes. "I know." She let out a shuddering breath. "I felt like...something was trying to pull me into a bunch of empty nothing."

"Maybe the longer we stay here, the more we are at risk," Raf suggested.

Jack frowned, worry knotting in his gut. "Than we can't stray from the Cybertronians side." He looked at Miko who nodded in agreement. But Jack had to wonder, how long would Rosy and Optimus's protection last?

* * *

They were back at Optimus's place, and Rosy stayed a little while to keep an eye on the children. Apparently, Miko's little escape had caused the two Cybertronians to be a little more cautious around the kids. But they hadn't been put back in the box...yet. Watching the pink femme, Jack had to wonder who she was. Who was this femme that had caught the Prime's eye? Miko had been right, there was more than friendship going on between the two.

"So, you guys know the plan?" Raf asked again.

Miko rolled her eyes. "Yes, act all needy until Optimus picks us up and brings us to his work station. Shouldn't be too hard."

Jack sighed, but swallowed back his pride and held his arms out. "Pick me up," he said, looking at Optimus.

Miko elbowed him. "You sound like a dying cow," she hissed. "This is how you do it." She then took in a deep breath before jumping up and down, squealing. "Pick me up! Pick me up!"

Optimus looked at her with shocked optics, then he smirked in amusement as he watched Miko. Rosy huffed, before picking up a jumping Miko. "Your turn boys," Miko called down.

Jack and Raf exchanged glances before jumping up and down. "Pick me up! Pick me up!" They both chanted. Optimus got up from his seat before picking up the two boys and carrying them back to his desk. Well, that was easy. Now all they had to do was access the computer.

Raf reached out, pointing down at the desk. "Down," he whimpered. At first, Jack thought his friend was hurt, but it took him a moment to realize that the whimpering was all just an act.

Optimus seemed to understand what Raf wanted, and he gently put the boys down. Miko soon joined them, and Jack looked up to see the two Cybertronians watching them. Optimus leaned back in his chair, as if content with watching the three kids. Rosy settled down on the chair next to him, leaning into the mech. Jack blinked, noticing that Optimus didn't seem too surprised by the femme's closeness. It made him wonder just how deep the relationship between the Prime and Rosy went.

Raf's excited shout caught his attention, causing him to turn and see Raf quickly jumping on the large keys. "Did you find them?" Jack asked, rushing over.

Raf nodded. "Miko," he said, pointing to a key. "Step on that." The girl nodded and did as she was told. "Jack," Raf started. "Step on the key to the right of Miko."

And so the game of hopscotch began, with the children jumping on different keys Raf directed them to. Just when Jack was wondering when Optimus was going to pick them up for messing with his computer, Raf told them to stop. They all stepped back, looking at the simple message on the screen.

"Do you think…" Miko trailed off, glancing at the two Cybertronians. Both bot's were sitting up, their optics glued to the screen. Rosy opened and closed her mouth, glancing at the children, stunned.

"Lechnie," Optimus suddenly said, staring at Jack. Again, he felt a feeling of wonder and shock that was not his own flood through him. He saw Raf take a step back, as if overwhelmed.

"Whoah," Miko muttered. "Did you guys feel that?" Jack could only nod in response. Yes, he had felt the rush of emotion that they were all now sharing, but he could not explain how. He wasn't even sure if he would ever be able to explain it.

He shifted nervously, but refused to look away from the future Prime. "T'o't" he started, looking up, pleadingly. Optimus needed to understand, he had to.

Optimus leaned back in his seat, an amazed look on his face as he reread the message. It was short, and simple; but who knew that the words, _'Hello Orion Pax'_ would render a Prime speechless?

* * *

 **Author's Note: I am not too sure how Raf can understand Bumblebee. But morse code sounded, at least to me, like it made sense. It couldn't be another language, because that would require Bee to use his voice, which he no longer has. And since morse code for us humans is a bunch of beeps, I wondered if that would work for Cybertronian Morse Code. Sorry if this isn't accurate.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! Yes, Big Red is Optimus Prime, I can tell most of you weren't too surprised by that ;) But your guesses, (Ironhide was my favorite) were awesome. I would love to read a story like that, as I sorta missed my opportunity on that.**

 **Anyway, I love all of your reviews, it's really helpful to have another pair of eyes reading my stories and pointing some things out for me. Like Raf's computer running low on battery, Jack's lack of interaction with the Cybertronians, etc...It's all very helpful to me. Thank you.**

 **Happy Birthday to BIackrose13, hope you have a great day. This little gift is for you.**

 **BTW, a Guest review had commented on a cybertronian electromagnetic fields. What does that mean? I would really like to know and see if I could fit that into my stories.**

* * *

Jack watched anxiously as Optimus and Rosy stared at the screen, the simple message glaring at them. He swallowed nervously. What was going to happen now?

Optimus turned to face them, rapidly speaking to the children, his expression excited. However, he stopped when Rosy placed a servo on his shoulder, speaking softly to him. A look of disappointment then crossed his features, and it was then Jack understood that he had thought they could now talk to them.

"Do you have anything else?" he asked Raf.

Raf frowned. "I know 'hello, understood, and father.' That's about it." He looked up at Jack. "Sorry, besides their names, that's all."

Jack placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "That's alright, at least we got a message through."

Rosy kneeled in front of them, her optics scanning them with understanding. Clicked chirps escaped her vocalizer, to which the children only stared at her in confusion. Optimus was typing rapidly on his computer, his optics flickering over to the children every once in awhile.

Rosy spoke to them in a low, almost rough tone, before switching to what sounded like a purr. Miko frowned. "What is she doing?"

"I think…" Raf started slowly. "She's trying to communicate with us with different languages."

"Can you understand her?" Jack asked.

Raf shook his head. "No, I can't."

Rosy paused, staring at them, her optics downcast. Jack came forward, gently touching the side of her pink helm. Rosy smiled at him, leaning into his touch. Jack grinned. "It's alright," he said. "We'll figure this out, somehow."

* * *

That night, all three children slept with Big Red...no, wait…Optimus. Jack looked up into the future Prime's blue optics. His servo covered the children protectively, his warm spark offering a comforting warmth.

"Do you think he and Rosy are married?" Miko whispered suddenly.

Jack turned his head so he could face Miko. Both his friends were on either side of him, as was their new routine. "I don't know. I mean, they don't live together, so I guess not."

He could see, thanks to the soft glow from Optimus's spark, Miko nodding her head. "I wonder if they have any kids later on in the future."

Jack smiled, the thought Optimus being a father seemed...right. He was always caring and protecting them. He was the leader of the Autobots, the provider and the warrior.

"But he's not Optimus at this moment," Raf pointed out. "He's Orion Pax."

Jack didn't see Miko frown, but he knew it was there. "I pretty much know him as Optimus Prime," she said.

Jack would have shrugged, if he wouldn't have disturbed his friends with such a movement. "So? My full name is Jackson Darby, yet I'm called Jack, or Jack-Rabbit. Here, I'm called Lechnie, whatever that means. But the different names I have don't change who I am as a person."

"But this is before the war," Raf said. "Optimus was living in a peaceful era. He was normal, he wasn't burdened by the responsibilities that come with being a leader. He's not even a Prime yet."

Jack frowned thoughtfully, his eyes flickering up to where Optimus was still awake. Now that he thought of it, Optimus was always awake when they went to bed. Did he stay up to make sure they would fall asleep?

"I guess," he started. "We will have to get to know Orion Pax here."

"And Megatron," Miko added.

Jack fought back a shiver. "Yes, and Megatron." Megatron was different too, he reminded himself. This was before the war, they were in a peaceful era. But when did Megatron start to change? Jack found it hard to believe that a friendship as strong as Megatron's and Optimus's could be destroyed within a matter of days.

A troubled thought occurred to him. What if Megatron was just deceiving Optimus? It was what 'Decepticon' meant. Deception.

With those thoughts in mind, Jack fell into a restless slumber, feeling the warmth of Optimus's spark lull him to sleep.

* * *

Rosy wasn't at work that day, which Jack found odd. But Optimus didn't seem too concerned as he strolled down the many shelves. Inside the box, Miko and Raf were napping, which Jack thought was strange. His friends seemed to be growing more tired with each day. Not to mention they had grown unusually pale, the dark circles under their eyes began to stand out on such a complexion. Glancing at himself through his dim reflection, he could see that he fared no better.

Optimus entered through the large doors, the guards saying nothing to him, though he did nod to them politely. Jack glanced back, watching as the large doors closed without a sound.

Optimus approached a simple desk, setting the box down. He looked in with a frown, watching the sleeping Miko and Raf. This morning, only Jack had awoken to Optimus morning routine. Miko had just grumbled, clutching her stomach as if in pain, while Raf didn't stir from his slumber. Jack could tell it concerned Optimus as much as it concerned him, he could feel the worry coming from Optimus. He didn't know how, but he made plans to ask Raf and Miko if they were experiencing the same experience of shared feelings.

Jack walked over to his sleeping friends, gently touching Miko's shoulder. "Hey," he said softly, kneeling down. "You alright?"

Miko's eyes fluttered open, before closing again. "I'm fine," she mumbled, her words slurred.

Jack felt his worry grow, and he could sense Optimus's concern wash over him. "Stop it," Miko muttered suddenly.

Jack blinked. "Stop what?"

"I can feel your concern," she groaned. "I'm fine."

Jack frowned. Miko could feel his concern? Just like he was sure he was feeling Optimus's. He glanced at Raf, wondering if the younger boy could feel the same thing. Closing his eyes, he tried to send positive feelings to his friends, but concern and worry was mixed in there as well. Raf blinked, opening his eyes with a smile before closing them again.

Jack stood up, thoughts running through his head. He glanced over at Optimus who hadn't moved, his blue optics aglow with helplessness. Jack just shook his head in defeat, not knowing what to do. Optimus's shoulders slumped before he sat down, the box next to his computer.

Jack walked forward, leaning against the box so he could see Optimus clearly. A small smile tugged his lips. "So this is what you do?" he found himself asking. "I've always wondered what you guys did before the war." He stopped, unsure why he was talking. But he could tell Optimus was listening to whatever he had to say.

"How did you do it?" he asked suddenly. "How did you lead your troops into an unknown world with your people so vastly outnumbered? I know I would have cracked under the pressure, but you never seemed uncertain in what you did. You always had the answers, and you never seemed to lose a battle." He let out a shuddering breath. "How did you lead them to safety? How did you...protect them?" Hopelessness washed over him as he glanced at his friends. Were they being affected by the time travel? Was it...killing them? The thought was horrifying to him.

A wave of comfort wrapped around him, and Jack found himself being picked up and held by Optimus. Jack snuggled right next to the warm spark. "I'm scared, T'o't," he choked out. "I'm scared." He wanted to scold himself for being so weak. He was the oldest in the group for Primus sake! He wasn't supposed to be in doubt or be uncertain. He wasn't supposed to be scared, doing so would never solve his problems. But at the same time, he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop the feeling of loneliness and helplessness.

Optimus cradled him close, speaking to him softly in Cybertronian. Another worried thought came to Jack. What if they died before getting a clear message across? What would happen to them, since they were stuck in the past? He looked up, his expression determined. He pointed to the box, indicating that he wanted to be put down. Optimus quickly obliged, watching as Jack sprinted over to Raf's backpack. Pulling out the notebook and flipping through Miko's pictures, he showed the one of 'Dead Cybertron.'

"Look," he said, pointing to the picture. "You need to understand this. You need to save your world."

Optimus quickly stood up, nodding his head, and Jack felt hope swell in his chest. Typing in a few things, Optimus quickly picked up Jack. He pointed at the screen, which displayed a large picture of Cybertron; alive.

Jack nodded. "Yes, that's your home." He looked at him. "But you need to save it." He stressed the word out, hoping the red bot would understand the important information.

Optimus gestured to the notebook, to which Jack started showing him the pictures, before being stopped by the future Prime. Optimus pointed at the Cybertron on the screen, then pointed at Jack, and shook his helm. He then pointed to the picture of Earth, then back at Jack and nodding his helm.

Jack frowned, confused. Did Optimus understand that they were from Earth? If so, then he didn't see how helpful that would be. Even if they could travel back to Earth, it still wouldn't be their right timeline. Still, at least it was something.

He sighed tiredly, rubbing his forehead. He wished Raf would wake up, at least he would know what to do.

Jack drifted in and out of sleep. During the times when he was awake, he could see Optimus and Gandalf speaking to one another, both their tones hushed. Gandalf shot the children a concerned look, his optics intense with worry. Jack found himself being pulled back into sleep, unable to stay awake.

He woke up again, feeling a dull pain in his side. He opened his eyes to see Miko stretching in her sleep, her foot digging into his side. Jack sighed, moving over to avoid her kicking feet.

* * *

Someone was in pain. That woke Jack up.

He scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide as he tried to find the source of that pain. It wasn't his own, but it was someone close to him. His eyes fell on Raf, who was still. Jack felt his heart stop in fear. No, not again.

He gathered his little friend in his arms, holding him close. "It's alright Raf, I got you," he said, rocking Raf back and forth. Optimus came forward immediately, picking them all up and holding them near his spark. Jack didn't know how, but he could tell that Raf's pain had stopped just by Optimus's presence.

Optimus didn't leave them alone after that. He carried them around when he sorted through the datapads and typed on his computer. Jack had to admit, Optimus was very fast when typing with just one servo.

Optimus received many odd stares from some of his co-workers, though he ignored them. That, or he just didn't care.

Miko had at last, woken up. She looked around tiredly before groaning. "Wow, I really needed that nap."

Jack smiled. "You okay?"

Miko looked at him with bright eyes. "Yep, I feel great!"

Jack chuckled. "Good," he said. He glanced over at Raf who was slowly waking up. "Hey buddy," Jack commented.

"Hey," Raf said, adjusting his glasses. He looked around, surprised that Optimus was carrying them around. "What happened?"

Jack shrugged. "I guess you guys just needed a nap." He tried to hide the worry and suspicion he was feeling, keeping his face expressionless. It didn't work.

Miko glared at him sharply. "What's wrong, Jack?"

He sighed. Apparently his friends could feel what he was feeling too, or he was a terrible actor. "I think...we are in more danger than we thought," he started.

Raf frowned, though Jack could feel that he was starting to understand what he was getting at. "You think we're dying," he said simply.

Jack winced. "Something like that," he said slowly.

Miko huffed. "We just took a little nap!" she protested.

"No, it was more then that," he said. "I could feel the pain you guys were in. It was like you were being pulled under while being attacked by...something!" He took in a deep breath. "It was like, you were going to sleep, only to never wake up."

Miko frowned. "So which is it? Are we going to get sucked into a bunch of nothing the longer we stay here? Or are we going to just fall into an eternal sleep?"

Jack felt his frustration grow at Miko's lack of concern. Why did she have to take everything so lightly?

"I'm not taking everything lightly," Miko snapped. "But freaking out is not going to help us in this situation."

Jack blinked, stunned. "Did you...did you just read my thoughts?" As crazy as it sounded, well, let's face it, they've been in crazier situations before.

Miko stared at him, a blank look on her face. Both teens turned to look at Raf, as if he had all the answers. The younger boy shifted uncomfortably. "I have a theory about it, but it's just a theory," he said quickly.

Miko frowned. "Okay, so what's the theory?"

Raf swallowed, and Jack could feel how nervous and uncertain he was. "I think we are all...connected in some way. Like we share a bond now."

Jack sucked in a breath. "Bonded how?"

"Have you ever noticed that all this started to happen when Optimus and Rosy started holding us close to their sparks?" Raf asked. "I'm not sure if that's the reason for it, but I think we are all bonded...like Cybertronians."

Miko frowned. "Like Cybertronians?"

Jack could feel Raf's worry fade away. He blinked. Woah, this was weird. How could he feel what his friends were feeling?

"There are many forms of bonding," Raf explained. "You can have a spark-bond, which is a bond between a mech and a femme when they become mates. They can feel each other's presence and hear each other's thoughts and feelings. Than you have a bond between two femmes, two mechs, or a mech and a femme that brings them together as siblings. It's pretty much the same thing, they can feel each other's thoughts and pain, though it's not as strong as a spark-mate's bond. Then you have the bond between twins, when two Cybertronians share a split spark. There's also a bond between siblings who are related by blood."

Raf paused, gathering his thoughts. "I think what's going on between us, is that we are developing a bond not only with each other, but also with Optimus and Rosy."

"Wow," Miko breathed after a moment of stunned silence. Jack nodded, he had known about the spark-bond, but everything else was new to him. He frowned. Why hadn't they asked the Autobot's more about their culture and language when they had the chance?

Guilt wormed it's way in, and Jack let out a shaky breath. Why hadn't he asked? When was the last time he had sat down to actually talk with Arcee and the others?

He felt Miko's hand on his shoulder, and he looked to see her eyes aglow with concern. He smiled, and she nodded, not needing to hear him say anything.

"So now we just got to get used to feeling each other's thoughts and feelings," he said, looking at Raf.

Raf shrugged. "Pretty much, I guess."

Jack let out a sigh. Well, this was going to be weird. He glanced at Miko, "Was that my feelings, or yours?"

Miko shrugged. "I think they were yours." She then looked at Raf. "How long have you known about the bond?"

Raf shrugged. "Ratchet explained it to me a few month's ago-"

"I meant about our bond," she interrupted.

Raf blinked. "Oh." He let out a breath. "I...kinda suspected it three days ago."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Miko asked.

"I didn't know how you would all react," Raf said defensively. "And like I said, I wasn't too sure if my theory was right."

"Well, it seems to make sense," Jack said. "And the fact that our pain goes away whenever we are around the bot's shows that we are connected in some way."

At that moment, Optimus got up from his seat when Gandalf approached, holding a device in his servos. Optimus observed the strange object with a raised optic ridge. Gandalf just shrugged, before launching into a lengthy explanation.

"What is that?" Miko asked, wrinkling her nose as she examined the strange looking box.

Raf beamed excitedly. "It looks like some sort of machine. I wonder if we'll see it activated." The thought of witnessing new Cybertronian technology filled him with giddy excitement.

Jack frowned. "Why do I get the feeling that it involves us?"

Raf shrugged. "Maybe it does, or maybe it doesn't."

Gandalf started flipping on the small switch at the center of the machine. It almost looked close to resembling a typewriter. At least, that's what Jack thought it looked like. Gandalf pointed at the children, before back to the machine.

"Yep," Miko muttered. "It involves us."

They watched as Optimus started pushing a series of buttons, glancing at the children as he did so. Clicked noises came from the machine, before a familiar beeping buzzing sound came from the machine. Jack frowned, wondering why the buzzing and beeping sounded so familiar. Than it hit him. It sounded like Bumblebee!

Raf let out a gasp, and Jack could feel his astonishment. "What did it say?" Miko demanded, as she also recognized the sound but could not understand its meaning.

Raf couldn't answer, as he was at a loss for words. But the sounds came back to him as a simple, **_"Hello?"_**


	11. Chapter 11

Raf felt hope well up in his chest. They could communicate with them!

"What did he say?" Miko demanded.

Well, he could.

"He said 'hi'," Raf started to explain, but then he stopped, as more beeping sounds came through the machine.

 **"Can you understand me?"**

It took less then a moment for Raf to start nodding his head frantically. "Yes!" he shouted. "Yes, I can!"

Optimus blinked, before rapidly typing on the machine. **"You can understand me?"**

Raf slowly nodded, knowing that he would not be able to get any message across to Optimus with words. It was now a new game of charades.

Gandalf said something to Optimus, before typing something in. **"Your** **artistic designs, are you trying to tell us something with them?"**

"What did they say?" Miko demanded, after Raf had nodded to Gandalf's question. She rolled her eyes when Raf explained what was being said. "Well, duh. Did they just figure that out?"

"At least we're getting somewhere," Jack said.

Raf shushed them both, trying to listen to what Gandalf was saying through the machine. **"Is it a warning?"**

Raf nodded.

That's how the next twenty minutes went. Optimus or Gandalf would ask a question through the machine, and Raf would have to nod or shake his head. Miko and Jack stood by, listening as Raf explained what was going on.

Finally, Gandalf leaned forward, his optics intense as he observed them. He than typed on the machine. **"We are trying to figure out what you are trying to say through the drawings. Are we in any danger?"**

Raf frowned, looking at Jack and Miko. "They want to know if they are in danger," he whispered. How was he supposed to answer that? It wasn't like a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer.

Miko rubbed her forehead. "Uhhh, say 'yes'!"

Gandalf frowned, concerned at Raf's nod. Optimus reached over, typing his question. **"How are we in danger?"**

Gandalf shot him an amused look, to which Optimus blinked before sighing. Raf blinked, was he supposed to answer that? "Ummm," he started, but Gandalf just held out a servo, stopping him.

 **"Are we,"** he gestured to himself and Optimus. **"In any danger? Does this affect us?"**

Raf chewed his lip, looking at Miko and Jack before repeating the question to them. Miko shrugged. "I guess."

And that's how the past hour went. After the last question was asked, the one involving the question about the children's health, Gandalf typed in his next question.

 **"We have grown concerned for your health. We know so far that you are from another planet and are here to warn us about something. However, we would like it if you would show us where you came from, so that we can send you home when your time comes."**

After Raf had relayed that message to Jack and Miko, the girl shook her head. "No, we can't let them send us back," she protested. "We have to warn them about the War!"

"But he said 'when our time comes,'" Raf argued. "I think they know something is up and that they will be doing a little more digging and see what's wrong."

Jack nodded. "I agree with both of you. But I think it would be best if we had a way to get back home, just in case." He looked at Miko. "Like it or not, we shouldn't be here, and I don't want to find out what happens to us when time itself tries to get rid of us." He held up his hand to stop Miko's protest. "That doesn't mean that we'll give up. We need to warn them, and we will."

Raf nodded, turning his attention back to Gandalf.

* * *

They stood on the steps of the building with Optimus holding them in his arms. Raf, Jack and Miko looked around, trying to see any familiar landmarks as to what building the had come from.

"There!" Miko shouted suddenly, pointing to a large, dark building.

Jack frowned. "Are you sure?"

Miko nodded. "Positive. I'd recognize the building housing Cyclops anywhere."

Raf doubted it, but he didn't say anything as Optimus and Gandalf followed the direction Miko was pointing at.

Optimus and Gandalf entered the building Miko was pointing at. The halls were bright, causing the children to blink in surprise. Optimus shielded the children as he followed Gandalf down the hallway. A femme at the front desk looked up in surprise, her blue optics twinkling as she smiled at Gandalf who said a few kind words to her. She nodded, glancing over at Optimus before getting up and leading them to a doorway.

The room was big, and Raf had to guess that it was some sort of science lab. There were tools and large operating tables with interesting looking machines. Raf looked around, fascinated by what the room held.

"It's Cyclops!" Miko shrieked suddenly. Raf and Jack both looked up to see the large, one eyed Cybertronian working at a desk. The being looked up when Gandalf and Optimus entered the room. Raf shrank back, trying to hide himself from the Cybertronian. But Gandalf gestured Optimus forward, who displayed the children to Cyclops. The Bot next to Cyclops let out a laugh, clapping the larger Cybertronian on the shoulder. Raf watched it all with wariness, but he stiffened up as he and his friends were examined by the two new Cybertronians.

"Yep, this is the place," Jack muttered. Raf nodded. He may not have recognized the room, but certainly recognized Cyclops.

"Do you think he remembers the whole pepper spray incident?" Miko whispered.

"Uh, let's hope not," Jack said, watching as Gandalf conversed with Cyclops and the other Bot. Optimus hung back, though Raf could tell he was listening in on the conversation.

Miko frowned. "What are they doing?"

Raf sighed. "I don't know. Hopefully, something to help Cybertron."

* * *

Two days had passed, and Optimus would often visit the building that Cyclops was at, and Gandalf would always accompany him. Raf started to grow worried as they hadn't seen Rosy during those days, though Optimus didn't seem concerned.

"Do you think they broke up?" Miko asked suddenly.

Raf shot her a look. "If they did, Optimus seems to be going through the break up stage fairly well."

Miko huffed. "Did she ditch us?" Before either Raf or Jack could voice their thoughts, Miko went on. "I mean, I don't think I offended her or anything. But maybe I did and just didn't realize it."

"What makes you think she's mad at us?" Jack asked suddenly.

Miko stuttered. "I-I don't know!"

Jack grinned. "You're attached to her."

Miko frowned. "So what if I am?"

Jack held his hands up. "It's fine, I think we're all attached to her."

Raf stayed silent, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to fight back another wave of dizziness. He hadn't been feeling good in the past couple of days, even when Optimus held them. Raf had started to worry if whatever affects Optimus had on them was starting to wear off.

His attempt at masking his pain did not go unnoticed. "Raf," Miko said suddenly. "What's wrong?"

Raf suddenly felt a surge of annoyance, and he was sure it was his own. "I'm fine," he said quickly. He hated being the weak link, the fragile one. Jack and Miko had more important things to worry about. They didn't need to worry about him!

Jack came forward. "What is it? Are you dizzy again?"

Raf sharply looked up. "Again?"

"You're not so good at hiding your emotions from us as you think," Miko said, settling next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, only to have him pull back. "Raf?" she asked, and he winced at the small pang of hurt he felt coming from Miko.

He shook his head. "It'll go away. It always does."

"Yeah, but Optimus is holding us," Miko said, looking up at the working Cybertronian. They were back at his home, and Optimus was always holding them, even when he went to sleep. "Why isn't the pain going away?"

"It's not painful," he said quickly. Not yet, was the unsaid thought.

Jack frowned, and Raf felt the yearning to protect come over him, and Raf shuddered at the sudden overwhelming emotions. He felt Jack withdraw quickly, trying to offer comfort. Optimus, sensing their distress, looked down and tightened his hold on them, waves of warmth washing over the three children.

"He is such a mother hen," Miko said with a smirk.

Jack chuckled. "Not much has changed."

At that moment, the door to Optimus's house slid open to reveal Rosy who came running in.

"Rosy!" Miko squealed, jumping up and down, reaching for the pink femme. Rosy started chattering excitedly, touching each of the children's heads as she smiled down at them. Optimus said something, causing Rosy to smile up at him before scooping the children up. Optimus sighed, rolling his optics in amusement.

"Where have you been?" Miko demanded. "Did you miss us? I bet you did. What did you see? Was it work related, or was it a vacation? Hey, I think Optimus is getting a bit jealous that you aren't paying attention to him."

Raf cuddled close to Rosy's spark as Miko chatted on. He opened his eyes to see Optimus fiddling around with the Communicator, as Miko had dubbed the machine. Optimus then directed Rosy to the Communicator, where she gently set the children down on the desk before sitting in the chair. She glanced over at Optimus who nodded encouragingly. She looked at the children before letting out a breath. She slowly reached out before typing on the machine.

 **"Hello? My designation is Ariel, and I am a librarian at the Iacon Hall of Records."**

She stopped, glancing at Optimus with a nervous shrug. Raf closed his eyes, testing the name in his mind. "Ariel," he said softly. "Her name is Ariel, and she's a librarian."

Miko shrugged. "I still think Rosy suits her better. I mean, does she look like a red-headed mermaid to you?"

"A mermaid who charmed the prince, if you know what I mean," Jack said with a smile.

"Or the clerk," Miko said with a grin.

Raf shushed them, as Rosy, er, Ariel was already typing.

 **"Orion has informed me that you are from another world."** She paused. **"I am sorry, I do not know what to say, as this conversation is very limited."** She looked at them, tilting her helm. **"Do you come from a bad place?"** she asked.

Raf blinked in shock. "No!" he exclaimed, shaking his head.

Ariel hummed thoughtfully. **"Your home, is it pretty?"**

Raf paused, a small smile on his face. "Yes," he said, nodding.

Ariel beamed. **"Do you have families?"**

That caused Raf to frown, homesickness coming over him. He nodded his head slowly, thoughts of his mama and papa and many siblings filling his mind. He missed them, missed the noise and chaos of his home. He missed the family get togethers and the hugs his mother would give him. He missed the feeling of home and the new normal.

Ariel stroked his head gently. **"I'm sorry."**

Raf looked up at her, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "It's alright," he said.

She smiled softly. **"You miss them."**

Raf nodded. "Yeah," he glanced at his friends who were looking on in confusion. "We do."

"Okay," Miko said impatiently. "What is going on?"

Raf smiled. "She's concerned for us," he said. "She wants to know about our world."

Miko beamed. "Oh! Well," she turned to look at Ariel. "It's a nice planet with big blue oceans and many green forests. The forests are my favorite because Bulkhead would take me there for a little scouting."

As Miko rambled on, Ariel leaned in, listening to what Miko had to say. She didn't seem to care that she couldn't understand what the children were saying, only that they were talking. Optimus sat down right next to Ariel and the pink femme leaned into him as Miko started describing some of their adventures with the Autobot's.

"And then Jack came in and rammed Screamer up against the cave wall!" Miko exclaimed. "And the Decepti-creep was all weeping and begging for mercy, which we ignored because we're, like, awesome and stuff."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "That never-"

Miko shushed him. "And Arcee showed up in all her amazing glory! And together, she and Bulkhead totally beat up Megatron and Starscream."

"While somehow, still holding up the caved in ceiling," Jack muttered.

Ariel and Optimus chuckled at Miko's dramatic movement as the girl got a bit too excited in her storytelling.

Raf looked at Jack with wide eyes. "You never told me about any of this!"

Jack frowned as he stared at Miko. "Strange, because that's not how I remember the events."

Miko shrugged innocently. "That's because you're old, and with your age comes memory loss. Trust me, I was there." She smirked. "I can still hear Starscream's screams as he was beaten to a pulp."

Now Jack looked concerned. "Um, I'm pretty sure that never-"

"Oh hush," Miko said, waving her hand dismissively. "Can't you see how entertained they are?" She gestured to Optimus and Ariel, who were watching the children, occasionally whispering something to each other.

Jack shrugged. "I think they just like watching us." He then frowned. "And what do you mean I'm old? You're only a year younger then me!"

"Yes, but a year is a big gap," Miko said with a grin.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "I'll remember that the next time I tell you to do something and you don't listen."

Raf could feel Jack and Miko's amusement as the harmless bickering continued. Raf grinned, knowing that his friends took secret pleasure in their little squabbles. He sighed, wondering who would come out on top in this round.

* * *

It was a normal work day, with Ariel at her desk with the children, though she kept a sharper optic on them ever since Miko's little escape. This time, however, the girl didn't seem too concerned with exploring. She just sat down next to Ariel and doodled in her notebook. She glanced over at the pink femme, who was holding a sleeping Raf in her arms. Miko frowned, a small feeling of concern for her friend welling up. But she pushed it aside, knowing he would be alright as long as he was with Ariel and Optimus.

She went back to her drawing, sketching out the picture of Ariel she had started. She did it because she was bored, but also because she wanted to remember the pink femme, despite the fact that she might not remember who she was to begin with. She stopped drawing, the feeling of dread growing. She was terrified about not remembering Bulkhead and the Autobots. The thought of not knowing Jack and Raf...she was scared. She was scared of moving toward the future now. What future did she have without Bulkhead and her friends? She didn't want to live a life without them...without her new family.

She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. A sudden, comforting hand on her shoulder caused her to look up and see Jack staring down at her with understanding. Then she remembered his promise. _"I will find you."_

But how could he promise something like that? He couldn't change the course of time. The thought almost made her chuckle, because weren't they trying to change time itself to save Cybertron? But what if time decided to rip them apart anyway? What if Jack never remembered to look for them? What if something happened to their phones and he wouldn't know to look at his contacts and see his friends? There were so many 'what if' scenarios. Plus, the Autobots were the ones to bring them together, the ones who helped the children form a friendship. What if they did get together, but their differences drove them apart? Again, there were so many 'what ifs.'

"That's a nice picture," Jack commented.

Miko smiled. "Thanks. I can't wait to get home and color her all pink." She finished drawing Ariel's helm, the shading casting shadows on the picture.

"I think you should leave it the way it is," Jack said. "It looks great."

"Art class was my favorite," she said suddenly. "Mainly because it didn't involve too much studying."

"But you were good at it," Jack said. "And you got good grades because it was easy since you liked it."

Miko looked up at him. "Where is all this coming from?"

He shrugged. "These long hours have given me plenty of time to think."

Miko turned to look at him, crossing her legs. "And what would you like to do with you life?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. "I...well, I haven't really thought about it," he confessed.

She frowned. "Well, you can't keep flipping burgers for the rest of your life." She punched his arm playfully. "You're a rock star, rock stars don't work at greasy drive thru's."

He grinned at her playfulness. "I know. I was thinking that if the Decepticons don't get to me first." Miko frowned at that, worried at the sudden thought of either of her friends dying in any way. "I might continue to try and help the Autobots," he continued, not noticing Miko's worry.

"Like join the military?" Miko asked, frowning. Why hadn't she thought of that?

He shrugged. "Something like that."

Miko smirked. "Or, you can be the first human intern for alien robots."

Jack laughed. "Won't Agent Fowler be pleased with that." He frowned. "Of course, I'd have to come up with something else to do, since there won't be any alien robots to intern for."

And with that, the silence and sadness descended again, though not as heavy as before.

* * *

"Well this is interesting," Miko commented as Ariel walked home with the children. They assumed that Optimus was working late, since Ariel was the one taking them home with her. And it had grown dark, the night lights coming on to light up the streets. Miko could tell Ariel had worked late herself, as the building she worked at had was almost empty. Miko had to admit, she was curious about where Ariel lived. Unlike Optimus, Ariel didn't live in a small apartment. Her home looked detached, yet still small. As she entered the home, they found that there was another blue femme lounging on what looked like a small couch, her pedes dangling on the edge. The blue femme glanced up, then looked back down at her data pad. Ariel snorted, swatting at the femme's pedes that were on the couch.

"Who's she?" Miko asked, looking at the femme.

Jack shrugged. "Her roommate?"

"I'm gonna call her Spiky," Miko said suddenly.

Jack shot her a look. "Spiky?"

She shrugged. "Just because I like the name."

Spiky seemed to finally notice the children that Ariel was holding, and she got up with interest. It was then the children noticed that she was cradling a small sparkling, its silver and blue armor shining in the dim lighting.

"Aww," Miko cooed, looking up at the sparkling as Spiky leaned over to glance at the children. "It's a baby!"

"It looks so small," Raf said with a wide smile.

Ariel gently set the children down on a small table before sitting on the floor. She took the sparkling from Spiky so that the blue femme could get a better look at Jack, Raf and Miko.

"Wait!" Miko exclaimed. "I wanna see the baby!"

Ariel, however, got up and left the room, taking the baby with her. "Squeaks!" Miko said mournfully as she watched the sparkling disappear from view.

Jack frowned. "Squeaks?"

"I miss her already," Miko said with a sigh.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know it's a 'her'?"

"Because she's so adorable!"

"And what does that say about boy babies?" Jack asked with a playful smirk.

Miko shrugged. "Nothing." She then bounced excitedly. "So, any guesses on who Squeaks parents are?"

Raf frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Like, could she be Optimus and Ariel's baby?" Miko asked.

"Well," Jack started. "If she is, then why isn't Optimus here to help take care of her? And I'm sure that if Optimus had a child, he might have said something."

Miko's eyes dimmed. "Unless...something happened to her."

An uneasy silence descended on them, and they all glanced over to see Spiky watching them with interest. Though she soon started fidgeting, as if she was bored. That was when Ariel came back in, holding Squeaks who was asleep. Spiky quickly took the sparkling back, while Ariel scooped up the children and held them close to her spark.

Spiky leaned over, displaying the data pad to Ariel who frowned. The children could feel the sudden worry in the pink femme. Miko tried to catch a look on what was on the data pad, though it was too high for her to see. She frowned, determined. Looking up, she began to climb up Ariel's arm. The femme let out a surprised sound, glancing down at the girl. She set the data pad down to gently move Miko before the girl hurt herself. Miko scowled in frustration. "Did you guys see anything?" she asked once she was put down with Jack and Raf.

Jack's eyes were wide. "Yeah."

Miko frowned. "Well, what was it?"

He swallowed. "It looked...like a terrorist attack. I saw a...a building was burnt down to the ground. There were people-Cybertronians running, and there was smoke."

Everyone was quite, the sound of Ariel and Spiky's hushed tones the only sound in the room. Miko glanced over to see Squeak's who was watching them now with wide, innocent optics. Miko swallowed, worry worming its way into her gut. Where they too late? Did they miss their opportunity to warn Optimus about Megatron and the War?

* * *

The next day was rushed, as everyone seemed to be gossiping. Miko had to bet that they were all talking about the attack.

Optimus had shown up to pick up Ariel, along with another large, dark mech who left with Spiky who was cradling Squeaks. Optimus hadn't left Ariel's side until she was at her desk at work. All this time, the two Cybertronians were silent, only speaking in short, quick sentences. Optimus then showed up again at the end of the day when Ariel was getting ready to leave, walking with her till she got back home. Ariel gently touched the children's heads before entering her home. Even Miko could tell her smile was forced.

"That had to be more than just any attack," Jack concluded when they were back at Optimus's.

Raf nodded. "Do you think...it was a school, or a hospital that was attacked?"

Jack shrugged, worry spiking through the new bond they all shared. "I don't know."

"Do you think...we missed our opportunity to save them?" Miko asked, looking up.

Jack hesitated. "I don't know," he confessed.

They all watched as Optimus examined the empty food and water bowl, his expression tight with worry. Jack frowned, knowing that they were running out of food, if they hadn't already. Optimus glanced over at the children, before reaching for the Communicator. "It's alright. You're safe here."

Miko placed her hands on her hips. "What about you?" she asked. "What's going on around here?"

Optimus just gently stroked her head. "You're safe here," He repeated. A few minutes had passed, until Optimus got up and began speaking to someone, and it took them all a minute to realize that he was speaking to someone through a comm link. He then got up before placing the children in the glass box and striding out the door.

"Where's he going?" Miko demanded, falling on her butt as Optimus jogged down the street.

"Don't know," Raf chattered as he was bounced around before slamming into the girl. Optimus seemed to notice the children's predicament and slowed down a bit. It didn't take long for Jack to recognize the familiar looking buildings they passed. But why they were so familiar, who could not figure out.

He soon got his answer when Optimus stopped in front of a building, the same one where all the creatures that had terrified them were in. This time, the strange, blue colored femme was leaning against the desk, a bored look on her face. She immediately brightened up when Optimus entered. She took one look at the children before scurrying off into the back. She emerged soon with the same jars the kids food were held in. Optimus nodded as the femme seemed to make small talk with him, to which Optimus replied politely. Jack noticed how the red Cybertronian seemed to glance over his shoulder, as if he was expecting someone. If the Bot was friendly or not, Jack still was figuring out.

Optimus nodded to the femme before leaving the building, holding the box the children were in close to his chassis, as if to protect them. Jack glanced over at Raf, who was sitting in a corner, hugging his knees to his chest. Miko was also silent, staring at nothing, though she was wringing her hands as if trying to coax some life into them. Jack started toward them immediately, kneeling beside Raf. "Hey," he said. "You alright?"

Raf looked up with a shaky smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Whatever Jack was about to say was interrupted by a pained shout, followed by the children tumbling out of the box as they fell to the ground. Jack looked up, panicked as to what happened. His eyes widened as he saw Optimus on the ground, groaning in pain. Two large Cybertronians stood over him, their optics trained on the children. One strode forward, reaching out for them. Jack scrambled back, jumping to his feet. The Cybertronian fell to the ground with a pained cry, and Jack saw Optimus already up, kicking at the attackers. But one Cybertronian merely came up from behind while Optimus was focused on his attacker in the front. The one from behind raised his club, ready to strike.

"Optimus!" Jack screamed, jumping up, ready to run.

Optimus turned, but couldn't avoid the sudden blow to his helm. The future Prime fell to the ground with a loud 'thud,' a sound that made Jack cringe in horror. He didn't even think twice as he grabbed Raf and Miko, and ran, his fear and need to protect urging him on.


	12. Chapter 12

Jack ran, dragging Miko and Raf with him, his heart pounding with panic. He felt torn, not wanting to leave Optimus behind, but he also knew that he couldn't help the future Autobot. He would only be putting Raf and Miko in danger if he stayed to try and help. And really, what could he do up against two giant robots?

His breaths came out in quick, short gasps as they reached a building with a small, rusted drain pipe poking out of the building. Jack stopped, boosting Raf up where the younger boy scrambled up. Raf then leaned over, grabbing Mikos hand as Jack lifted her up. "Jack," Raf grunted as Miko crawled in. "Come on!"

Jack looked back to see one of Optimus's attackers coming forward, his optics searching the dark alleyway. Jack looked back up at his friends, who were both holding their hands down, urging him to climb. Jack frowned, determined as he jumped up, latching on to Miko's hand as he pressed his feet against the wet wall. He climbed up, wincing as his stomach scraped painfully against the pointy, rusted metal. Once he was in, he didn't even give himself time to breath before scrambling up and pushing his friends further into the back.

"Jack," Miko gasped. "What-"

"Shhh," Jack said suddenly, clamping his hand over Miko's mouth as they crouched in the dark. Jack could feel the fear his friends were radiating; Fear for themselves, fear for Optimus, fear for eachother. He could hear the loud footsteps of the Cybertronian thug, the sounds made louder in the pipe as the sound echoed around them. Jack held his breath, trying to hear beyond the beating of his own racing heart.

A sudden scream echoed around them, which was swiftly cut off with a gurgled gasp. The sounds of running footsteps could be heard, along with the swift clash of metal hitting metal. Then there was a heavy silence, followed by a loud 'thud.' Jack cringed, and wondered if that noise had been a body falling to the ground. He quickly tried to shield that thought from the others, to no avail.

"Jack," Raf whispered, fear choking up his voice. "Was that Optimus? Did-did they hurt him?"

Jack wanted to say no, wanted to deny that that dying scream had been Optimus's. "I don't think so," he replied. I hope not, was the unsaid term. Raf and Miko could hear and feel the lie in his words, but they thankfully remained silent. Optimus is a warrior, he assured himself. _Was,_ a silent voice said in his head. _Or will be. He's not the Optimus you know._ But Jack pushed that thought away.

Jack sat down, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat. Raf snuggled up next to him, along with Miko who rested her head on his shoulder. Jack wrapped his arms around his friends, feeling Raf's small body shaking. He could feel Miko's turmoil as she tried to fight the tears, and he could feel Raf's fear and pain. Jack let out a breath, trying to calm himself down. He wanted to go out there and see what was going on, and see if Optimus was alright. But he couldn't leave his friends, and he knew they would follow him if he tried to venture out. And if the Cybertronian thugs were still out there...no, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk his friends. He couldn't endanger them.

But looking at Raf's still form in the dark, he wondered how long he should wait. Was waiting even a good idea? And what was he waiting for? For someone to come get them? And how long did Raf have? If he was separated from Optimus or Rosy for too long...Jack didn't want to think about it. Glancing over at Miko, who could see she fared no better.

He sent out what he hoped was a wave of comfort and strength to them. He closed his eyes, wondering if he could try to send his feelings of panic to Ariel. But even if it worked, how would she know where to look? He sighed, figuring it was worth a try, and at least someone would know something was wrong. He reached out, feeling that small bond that he just somehow knew was Ariel. He nudged at it, sending his fear and panic through the bond. But before he could do anything else, he was pulled back, causing him to gasp in shock at the unexpected pull.

"We should go out," Miko murmured.

"It might not be safe," Jack argued.

"We're not safe here," Miko said, getting up and striding forward. Jack let out a groan before slowly getting up to follow Miko. "Come on Raf," he said gently. "We have to make sure she stays out of trouble."

Raf said nothing as Jack held onto his arm before leading him to where Miko was waiting for them. But before she could reach the opening, a shadow blocked their view. Jack stumbled back as a pair of blue optics stared right back at them. Jack was about to shout for Miko to get back, when the girl stopped him. "It's alright!" she shouted. "It's Megatron!"

Three weeks ago, those words would have filled him with dread and fear and he would have been running the other way. But now, he was relieved, and instead of running from Megatron, he ran towards him. They stood at the edge of the pipe where Megatron hesitantly picked them up in his clawed servos. He looked down at them, as if unsure, before slowly bringing them close to his warm spark.

Jack let out a sigh, his concern somewhat lifted. But when he looked around, he could not see Optimus. Now his concern was spiked. He looked around wildly, his eyes wide. Was Optimus alright? Where was he? He looked up at Megatron who strode down the dark streets. Jack could see some Cybertronians lurking in the shadows, though they all scurried away whenever Megatron passed by. One Cybertronian came forward, speaking to Megatron in a low, gruff tone. Megatron's optics narrowed, and Jack could feel the anger swelling around his spark, and it terrified him. Megatron said something to the large Bot, who nodded, giving Megatron a smirk before trotting off.

"Where's he taking us?" Miko whispered, looking at Jack, hoping he'd have some answers. But she was soon disappointed as he shook his head. "I don't know." He tightened his grip on Raf and Miko's shoulders, as if he could protect them. He ran possible plans through his head. They couldn't jump from Megatron's hold, as the fall would kill them. Miko was out of pepper-spray, but maybe she could still kick Megatron in the optics. It worked before...somewhat.

It was night by the time Megatron arrived at Optimus's. He entered the home, holding the children close. "Optimus!" the children shouted, spotting the red Cybertronian laying on what appeared to be a med berth. But he did not get up, in fact, he didn't seem conscious at all. Dude was hovering over him with tools and what appeared to be a medkit by his side.

"What did those jerks do to you?" Miko demanded as they were brought forward. She looked up at Megatron. "I hope you beat the scrap out of the guys who jumped our Bot. We can hunt them down together and do some damage!"

Megatron went as if to set the children down on the nearby table, but stopped when Dude looked up, his tone sharp as he regarded Megatron. The future warlord scowled, looking at the children as if they were going to bite him. The thought amused Jack for a moment.

Dude said something, gesturing to Optimus, causing Megatron to sigh. He picked the children back up, glaring at Dude as if to say, 'Happy now?' The other mech stomped over to Megatron, adjusting his hold on the children to where they were closer to Megatrons spark then before. Megatron recoiled in shock, looking up at Dude who only shrugged before getting back to work on Optimus.

Jack looked down at Raf. "You feeling better?" he asked.

Raf nodded, his eyes fluttering as he tried to fight back sleep. "Yeah, thanks."

Jack touched the younger boy's head. "Go to sleep. You'll be fine." He looked up at Megatron who was as stiff as a board. "I don't think he means to hurt us."

"Yeah," Miko snorted. "I think he's scared of us." Jack noticed how she was curled up like a kitten, her eyes tired. She was rubbing her stomach, though Jack couldn't feel any pain coming from her.

Jack stayed awake, not really feeling too tired. He watched as Dude worked on Optimus while Megatron stayed standing. Without looking up, Dude commented on something, causing Megatron to frown before reluctantly sitting down in a nearby chair. As Jack looked up into Megatron's blue optics, he noticed the concern etched onto the Cybertronian's face as he watched Optimus. He flinched when Dude adjusted one of Optimus's arms, almost as if he could feel the other mech's pain. It was then Jack realized something; Megatron cared for Optimus.

 _"I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother."_ Optimus's words echoed back at Jack.

Jack frowned. Then what changed between them? He just hoped it would never come to pass.

Megatron looked down at him, still wary. He said something, which sounded like an order to Jack. The teen just shook his head in confusion. Megatron sighed before slowly walking over to the Communicator, trying not to awaken Miko and Raf. He typed something in, looking down at Jack.

Jack blinked. "Umm."

"He's telling you to go to sleep," Raf muttered. "He's assuring you that you're safe."

Understanding dawned on Jack. "Oh," he said, nodding up at Megatron. He settled down, trying not to disturb his friends. But Megatron bumped him over, moving him closer to his spark, the warmth and protected feeling overcoming him. "Thank you," Jack breathed out, closing his eyes.

* * *

Despite what had happened to him, Optimus still showed up to work. Even though the children could not understand what the Cybertronians were saying, they could tell what Dude and Megatron were arguing with Optimus about. When Megatron threw his servos up in frustration, he reached over to the Communicator and typed something in, shooting the children a look.

"What did he say?" Jack asked Raf.

Raf adjusted his glasses as he leaned against the new box Dude had provided them with. "He's letting us know what a stubborn mech our 'father' is and how it'll be the death of him."

Jack smirked. "Of who? Megatron's death, or Optimus's?"

Raf grinned. "I'm betting Megatron's. He looks like he's going to tape Optimus to the wall." They looked over and noticed how Megatron was pacing around, glaring at Optimus as if daring him to leave the house. Dude stood nearby with his arms crossed.

Miko chuckled. "Never thought Megatron would be concerned for Optimus's health."

Ariel had fussed over the children and Optimus when they showed up. She then frowned, placing her servos on her hips as she glared at Optimus, no doubt displeased with him for showing up despite his injuries. Optimus just replied something to her, his tone hushed, to which Rosy frowned in concern as she watched him leave.

Miko let out a huff, throwing herself into the new cotton stuffing. "Now what?" she mumbled.

Jack just shrugged. "We begin the work day."

Miko rolled over, staring at Jack. "Do you think Gandalf and Optimus are talking about what to do about our pathetic warnings?"

Jack sighed. "I don't know," he confessed. There seemed to be a lot of things that he didn't know. "It's been three days, I sure hope they're trying to figure out something."

Miko frowned before pulling her phone out of her pocket. "We've already tried to show them pictures," she said. "Why didn't Optimus recognize himself?"

"Maybe it's because his form was changed," Raf said. "I mean, the reason why we didn't recognize him was because he wasn't wearing battle armor and because he didn't take on an earth based vehicle mode yet."

Jack nodded. "True, but you would think he'd spot some similarities."

Miko's eyes gleamed with interest. "Maybe he did, and we just didn't know it."

* * *

Jack was sure something was wrong with him. He spent most of the day asleep, and the times he was awake, he felt tired, like something was dragging him down. The headache was dull when he moved around, but went away when Rosy held him. Jack began to notice how pale Raf and Miko had grown, and he didn't like how dull Raf's eyes were becoming. He developed another theory; maybe it was Cybertron's atmosphere that was harming them and not Time itself. But regardless, something was harming them, and whatever soothing effects the Cybertronians sparks had on them was wearing off as Time went on.

Jack groaned, massaging his temples. Thinking too much hurt. Thinking about anything hurt! Sharp movements or loud noises caused him to cringe, and he could only imagine how Raf and Miko felt.

Rosy began to hum softly as she held the children, keeping her movements to a minimum. Raf let out a whimper, moving closer to Rosy's spark. "What is wrong with me?" he groaned in pain.

Jack looked at him with tired eyes, but didn't say anything. He was tired of answering with 'I don't know.'

"It'll go away," he said after a while. He closed his eyes. "It'll go away."

* * *

Gandalf stopped by to examine the children, his optics aglow with concern. He gently reached out and stroked each of them. He nodded to Ariel who started speaking to him, her voice worried. He answered back before leaving the building, his steps hurried. Jack couldn't bring himself to care where he was going.

Nobody left work that day. More Acid rain poured down in light drizzles, but a light drizzle was reason enough to stay indoors. Most Cybertronians bunked down in corners while some stayed at their desks. Ariel carried the children to a spot where Optimus was. The femme sat down next to him when he took the children, holding them close. Ariel leaned against him, closing her optics as she let out a sigh. Optimus wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer as looked down at the children.

"This is like an office sleepover," Miko said, and Jack was relieved to hear some of the spunk was back in her voice.

"Yeah, except no one wants to sleep at work, because it means your boss will always give you something to do," Raf said with a grin.

"School and work," Jack said. "The top two places you don't want to sleep at."

Miko sat up, her eyes bright. "We should explore."

Jack's eyes widened. "No! Remember the last time? You ran into Soundwave!"

She shrugged. "But he didn't hurt me."

"He could've," he argued.

"What other Decepticons do you think we'll see?" Miko said gleefully, ignoring his concerned comment.

Jack sighed, but played along. "Well, there's Knock Out, Breakdown, Airachnid." He shuddered at the last part. He didn't feel like seeing Airachnid without Arcee.

"What about that Decepticon who posed as Wheeljack?" Raf asked. "Or Starscream?"

Miko tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think his name was Makeshift," she said. "But we don't know what he looks like since we only saw him as Wheeljack. But I do remember Bulkhead mentioning a Decepticon named Barricade and some dude called Bonechrusher." She giggled. "Which are really cool names."

Jack grinned. "Yeah, let's try and stay away from anyone by the name of 'Bonechrusher'."

"Guy's," Raf said softly. "Look." He pointed up, and Jack could see Optimus and Ariel leaning against each other, both fast asleep.

"Aww," Miko cooed. "That's so sweet!" Then she whipped out her phone and took a quick picture of the couple.

"They must have been really tired then," Jack commented. "Usually, Optimus is the one staying up until we're all asleep."

"It must be because of the...attack yesterday," Raf said.

Miko frowned. "Yeah, what was that about anyway?"

"Do you think it was the Decepticons?" Jack asked.

Raf shrugged. "Maybe. But Megatron seemed really concerned about Optimus, so I don't think he ordered the attack."

"The Imperials!" Miko exclaimed suddenly. "Remember those golden guards who were chasing us a while ago? I betcha they had something to do with it!"

"But to do with what?" Jack asked. "Even if they are connected, what purpose would they have with Optimus?"

Miko shrugged. "Maybe someone wants him silenced." Her eyes widened. "Or maybe they know that he's going to be a Prime!"

"Or it could have been just a simple mugging," Raf suggested.

Miko frowned. "Yeah, that's true."

"Both are really concerning enough," Jack pointed out. "But a mugging seems most likely."

Miko huffed. "Most likely. But I betcha the Imperials have something to do with it."

Jack couldn't shake the sudden image of Cybertronians that looked like Stormtroopers out of his head. He could just see it now, with the Imperial March music in the background. He chuckled at the idea.

"Do you think we allowed that to happen to Optimus?" Raf asked suddenly.

Jack frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think Optimus would have gotten hurt if we hadn't been around?" Raf asked. "The only reason Optimus went out was to get us food and water. He might not have been attacked if he had stayed home." He paused. "If...we hadn't been here to begin with."

The thought caused them all to pause. As unsettling as it was, Raf had a point. Jack looked up, noticing the damaged paint from the attack on Optimus. He swallowed, looking away with guilt. Were they doing more harm than good? As far as they knew, their pictures weren't doing much good, and as each day went by, their health declined. And now their very presence harmed Optimus. Jack rested his hand on Optimus's arm. "I'm sorry," he whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews. Someone had pointed out that Megatron's name was Megatronus when he was still 'kinda' good. I just wanted to point out that in this story, that it's not how Jack, Raf and Miko see him. They see him and Optimus as the Megatron and Optimus Prime that they know of, which is why they refer to them as such when they talk or think about them. I hope that clears a few things up. Truth be told, I was wondering if I should have said something about that earlier, and I'm glad someone pointed that out to me.**

 **Again, thank you for the reviews, I love reading them.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

"Can't you go any faster?" Miko demanded, holding onto the large, silver finger that was dragging her in the water.

Megatron sighed, his chin resting on his servo as he watched the children swim. Apparently, Optimus had decided that the children needed another bath, and had provided them with water in a little bowl. Unfortunately for Megatron, who had arrived at the time Optimus had put the children in the water, he was forced to help Optimus watch them.

Megatron shot Optimus a 'help me' look. The red mech just shrugged, though Raf could see the way his optics were twinkling with mirth. Megatron grumbled as he looked back at Miko who was glaring at him impatiently. "C'mon," MIko encouraged. "I don't bite."

Megatron just frowned down at her, but he did drag Miko along in the water faster than before. Miko let out a whoop of delight, the water swirling around her. Megatron just had a bored look on his face, but Raf could see how he kept a sharp optic on them all. Jack's splashing in the corner, Raf's silent swimming; Megatron noticed them all, as if trying to discern if they were safe or not.

The door to Optimus's home opened to reveal Ariel carrying Squeaks. She beamed happily, nudging Megatron when she saw him with the kids. Megatron only grunted in response, and Ariel's grin grew. Raf watched with great interest as Optimus took Squeaks from Ariel, smiling down at the sparkling. Squeaks let out a small, tired chirp and Optimus chuckled, tickling her chin. Squeaks started kicking her small legs, soft purrs coming from her tiny mouth.

"Hmmmm," Miko said suddenly, startling Raf. "Yep, I'm betting that Squeaks is Optimus's babby."

"Then why isn't Optimus living with Ariel and Squeaks?" Raf asked. This was not a new topic of conversation for them, as Miko was determined to guess who Squeaks and Ariel were to Optimus.

Miko waved her hand dismissively. "Maybe their Cybertronian customs are different or something like that."

"Actually," Jack started, looking troubled. "I remember Arcee telling me something about a caste system on Cybertron, and how it was forbidden for any Cybertronian from a different caste system to intermarry."

Miko frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that a senator couldn't marry a slave," Jack said. "Something about keeping the bloodline pure."

"Another form of control," Raf mused out loud.

Miko blinked. "But Optimus and Ariel work at the same place. Wouldn't that mean they're both from the same caste system?"

"Well…" Raf started. "The rooms Optimus works in seems pretty top secret, as the guards wouldn't let Ariel in the last time we came."

"And the work Ariel seems to do looks like a simple desk job," Jack said.

Miko's frown deepened. "But, if that's true, then wouldn't that only put Ariel one caste lower than Optimus? Because that doesn't seem like too big of a gap."

Jack shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Arcee wasn't even too sure herself, since she was only a sparkling when the war truly started."

Miko was silent for a moment, glancing over at Optimus who was still holding Squeaks. "What...happens to the children if a forbidden marriage is found out?"

Both boys fell silent, sudden dread filling in their hearts. Miko's eyes widened. "What if," she started, her voice low and full of panic. "Someone did find out about Optimus and Rosy's marriage, and that led to something happening to her and Squeaks?"

"Miko," Jack started sharply. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. For all we know, Optimus and Rosy aren't even together and Squeaks isn't even her child! Squeaks might be Spiky's, or some cousin of Ariel's. Squeak's could even be Megatron's!"

"Now there's a thought," Miko muttered, suddenly interested.

Jack let out a breath. "All I'm saying is, don't you think someone would notice a supposedly unmarried femme with a sparkling? If Ariel were to try and protect Squeaks, she wouldn't be parading the sparkling around in the open."

"If you look at the shape of Squeaks helm, and match it with Ariel's," Raf said suddenly. "They almost look similar."

Miko nodded thoughtfully. "So Ariel and Squeaks are related in some way."

Raf shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. Or it could be a coincidence."

Miko pursed her lips, a sign that she was deep in thought. "I'm cold," she said finally. She held her arms up, letting Megatron know that she wanted to be picked up. Megatron looked startled, glancing over at Optimus. The red mech gestured toward a now slumbering Squeaks, a knowing smirk on his face. Megatron huffed, glancing at Miko who was still in the water, waiting to be picked up. He cringed, reaching in and scooping her up.

"Oh, you're warm," Miko murmured, trying to snuggle up against his spark. Megatron recoiled, striding over to Ariel and dumping Miko in the femme's arms.

"Hey!" Miko exclaimed, glaring at the mech.

Jack chuckled. "I think you scared him," he called out.

"I didn't mean to," Miko said, pouting. The girl could feel Ariel's armor shaking with silent laughter as she picked up the two boys, her warm spark bringing comfort while they were in their wet clothes.

"Maybe Squeaks is Ariel's," Miko continued. "And something happened to Squeaks father and Optimus is now the stepfather."

Jack glanced at her. "Why are you so interested in this?"

"Don't tell me you aren't curious too!" Miko exclaimed. "This is a peek into Optimus's life; A time when he was normal, with no responsibilities, no war, and no torn up relationships."

"I wonder about the others too," Raf said. "Like, who were Arcee's and Bumblebee's parents? What about Bulkhead and Wheeljack?"

Jack grimaced. "Or who they knew back before the war."

"Could that ever happen to us?" Miko asked, looking at them. "What if someday, we were going about, doing our stuff, and then suddenly, we're plunged into a war."

"That has happened before," Jack said softly.

"Yes, but what about again? Could it happen again?" Miko asked.

"As long as the weapons dealers are happy with the boat-load of money coming in, I think we'll be fine," Raf said casually.

Both teens stared at him. "What?"

Raf looked at them in surprise. "Don't tell me you don't know about the whole Rothschild conspiracy!"

"The Rotha-who now?" Miko asked.

Raf adjusted his glasses. "Going into war requires weapons, a lot of them. Only a select few companies make a lot of money off of war. Including the banks and other major wealthy families. It's how the Civil War started too, really. The North needed to destroy the South's manufacturing, and they dragged in the whole 'free the slaves' idea to draft in eager soldiers since no one would go to war to make rich families wealthy." He shrugged. "In the end, a lot of innocent, young men died to make some greedy men rich and restore dominance."

"So the bankers started a war, just to make money?" Miko demanded, incredulous.

Raf shrugged again. "Yep, pretty much."

"I wonder if that's what was going on here," Jack said suddenly. "It sounds a lot like the Civil War back on earth."

"But Megatron was fighting to destroy the caste system," Raf pointed out. "To bring in equal rights for everyone."

Jack nodded. "So who had the most to lose with the destruction of the caste system?"

"The Higher-ups," Miko suggested. "I mean, if you suddenly find your position challenged by a slave who can do the job better than you, you know you're in trouble."

"I wonder if that's what the attack on Optimus was," Jack said suddenly. "Nothing was stolen from him, or as far as we know. We do know that Optimus and Megatron are working together at this point."

"We do know there was corruption in the Council," Raf said. "And I'm sure there are some Cybertronians who don't want Megatron and Optimus to bring about change."

"Was there ever another Prime ruling Cybertron before Optimus?" Miko asked.

Jack sighed. "That we don't know."

Raf frowned. "Didn't Ratchet say something along the lines of, 'since the golden age, here stood one worthy of being a Prime'?"

Jack shrugged. "Something like that, I guess."

"So does that mean there's no current Prime right now?" Miko asked.

"If there's a Council, maybe," Jack said.

Miko rolled her eyes. "Aaugh, politics. So confusing."

* * *

The children had noticed how silent Ariel had become. She would glance over at Optimus with concern, and Raf could tell she wanted to speak to him. About what, he was not sure. But the next day, Raf could hear them speaking in urgent tones. Ariel sounded like she was pleading with him, while Optimus's voice was calm. Looking over, Raf saw that Ariel had her arms wrapped around herself, as if trying to find comfort. There was concern in her optics; a deep, agonizing worry. Optimus placed his servos on her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. Ariel rested her helm on his chassis, closing her optics. Optimus gently stroked her helm, his expression troubled. Raf frowned, concerned as to what was going on. He turned away, biting his lip as possible scenarios ran through his mind.

The next day had Ariel taking the children to her place. The air was cool and silent while the day was bright. Ariel was slowly walking down the streets, her helm down as she held the box the children were in. She was holding the Communicator under her other arm, as the children had seen Optimus give it to her before she left.

"Oh, cool!" Miko exclaimed, taking a picture of a building that was under construction. Catching Raf's confused stare, she shrugged. "I wonder what it's going to be anyway. The columns look really neat," she said. Raf just smiled, noticing that the unfinished building did look pretty interesting.

When Ariel entered her home, they found Spiky sprawled on the couch, her expression bored. Squeaks rested on the blue femme's chassis, slumbering soundly. Raf heard a picture being taken, and he turned to see Jack putting his phone away. The older teen shrugged. "I think it's cute," he said. He looked down at his phone. "And I think I'm out of battery anyway. I wanted to get a picture of that before my phone died."

"No worries," Miko said, holding her phone out. "I've still got a few bars of life left, and there's no argument on how cute Squeaks is." She then frowned. "Speaking of which, do you think something happened between Optimus and Ariel? I mean, what's with the sudden change in routine?"

Raf sighed, settling down in the fluffy cotton stuff that was in the box. "I kind of gave up trying to understand what's been going on."

Miko raised an eyebrow. "No you didn't."

Raf smiled. His friends knew him so well, and they understood that he loved to solve problems and figure out puzzles. At this moment, Cybertron was a puzzle that he wanted to put together.

"Hey, who's that?" Miko asked suddenly as a turquoise femme came out of one of the rooms. The femme beamed as she hugged Ariel, both chatting excitedly. A few minutes later, the door to Ariel's home opened to reveal two more femmes coming in. Both were bright red, their blue optics twinkling as they looked at Spiky with Squeaks. One femme was taller than the other, and Raf had to assume that one was a nurse, judging by her red and white color scheme.

"Is this some kind of get together?" Miko asked, looking around.

They all watched as the femme's settled down, their voices hushed and somber. Ariel came over and picked the children up before sitting down next to the nurse. Miko quickly climbed up on Ariel's shoulders to get a closer look at Nurse. The girl narrowed her eyes as she examined the femme who was staring at Miko with curiosity. "So," Miko started. "You look like a female Ratchet."

Jack and Raf blinked. "What?" they both exclaimed in shock.

"Oh come on," Miko said, looking down at them. "It's obvious, right? She could be his daughter, or sister."

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. "Miko," he started, with a groan. "Just because they have similar paint colors does not mean they are related."

"Sure it does."

He glared up at her. "They could say the same thing about you and me. We both have black hair."

Miko's eyes widened. "Um, you know what? I don't think Ratchet had a sister in the first place. And I'm pretty sure he stayed single."

Jack frowned. "Are you saying that because you don't like the idea of the two of us being related?"

She huffed. "Course not. You and Raf are my bros."

Raf grinned. "Good to know."

They all watched as the femmes gathered around in a circle, all sitting down. Spiky sat up, allowing the larger, red femme to sit down and hold Squeaks. Ariel and Nurse made room for the turquoise femme on the other couch. Raf couldn't tell what they were saying, but it was obviously serious since they all looked concerned. Concerned for what, Raf didn't know. Ariel kept wringing her servos her expression distracted as her optics flickered to the door. The turquoise femme put a gentle servo on Ariel's shoulder, speaking softly to her. Ariel's smile was small and grateful as she nodded, though Raf could still sense panic and worry in her through the bond.

"What are they doing?" Miko asked. It had been less than twenty minutes, and the femmes had all begun to play what looked like a card game. They all held identical blue and green cards, though the children could see different symbols on the inside of Ariel's cards. Ariel's expression was focused as her optics scanned the cards in her servos. Squeaks had been passed around, and at the moment, was trying to grab Nurse's cards in an attempt to chew them.

Spiky grinned suddenly, laying a card down triumphantly. The red femme next to her let out a frustrated groan, throwing her cards down in defeat. Spiky grinned as she reclined back with a smug look on her face. The red femme frowned, leaning over and grabbing Spiky's arm, pulling out another card. At this moment, everyone was glaring at Spiky who shrugged innocently. Raf could see Ariel was trying to contain a smirk as she shook a finger at the blue femme.

Spiky rolled her optics, and Raf couldn't tell what she had said, but he knew the red femme took immediate offense as she lunged at the blue femme, knocking her to the ground. Ariel lifted her pedes off the ground as the two struggling femmes wrestled. Nurse rolled her optics as she held Squeaks while the turquoise femme was calling out encouragements.

"Get her Spiky!" Miko shouted, jumping up and down. "You can do it!"

"Don't encourage them," Jack muttered, leaning against Ariel who was watching the fight with little interest. Based on the femmes reactions, this wasn't too much of a surprise.

There was no clear winner, as both femmes were on the ground, panting from laughter. Spiky nudged the red femme with her pede, earning her a kick in the side. Spiky glared as she got up, mumbling something as she sat back down. Raf watched as Nurse said something casually, not looking away from Squeaks who she was playing with. Spiky just glared, rolling her optics. Ariel chuckled as she got up, holding the children. Miko clung to her shoulder as the femme bent down, picking up the cards that had fallen from the fight. She allowed Jack and Raf to climb up and join Miko on her shoulders as she crawled around. Pretty soon, the children were on her back, watching as she picked up the cards.

"Oh my goodness!" Miko suddenly shrieked, startling the two boys.

"What? What is it!?" Jack demanded, concerned. At first, Raf was worried that she needed to be near Ariel's spark because of a sudden headache. But the girl looked fine as she waved her phone around.

"I have a picture of Soundwave!" she exclaimed.

Jack frowned, holding onto Ariel's shoulder as the femme slowly got up from her hands and knees. "So?"

She stared, her mouth opened in surprise. "So? It's the same picture I took when the Autobots had that smack down in space! Remember? The time when Raf had to hack into the satellites to turn off the space bridge?"

Raf's eyes widened. "Yes! I remember that! You have Soundwave's picture?"

Miko nodded. "We can show it to Ariel. And," she said, typing on her phone and going to a video. "This is from the time when Bulkhead was...hurt." Her eyes darkened as she let out a breath, the memory still too painful. "And I helped Wheeljack kill Hardshell. This is the video I took of the mine we blew up to catch Megatron's attention."

"Which means you can show Ariel and Optimus that there was a war going on," Jack said, excited. "And that Soundwave is involved!"

She nodded. "And if Soundwave's involved, hopefully she'll figure out that Megatron is involved too." She flipped back to the picture of Soundwave. "Look here," she said, pointing. "You can see our terrified faces in the reflection of his visor."

Jack shook his head. "How did we not remember this?"

Miko put her phone away. "Doesn't matter," she said. "What matters is that we can get a clearer message across, our way."

* * *

The children were impatient when Ariel was finally alone. The femmes had all left, and Spiky had taken Squeaks with her. They all watched as Spiky guided Ariel to the couch, her expression firm. Ariel began to protest, but Spiky ignored her as she left the house. Ariel sighed, flopping down on the couch, her arm covering her optics.

"Hey! Ariel!" Miko shouted, waving her phone in the air. They were back in the box, which was not what they wanted. "We need to show you something!"

"Ariel!" Jack shouted. "Wake up!"

The pink femme looked over at them, and Raf could see how worried and distracted she was. She reached over to the Communicator that was right next to her. **"I'm sorry if I seem a little distracted today,"** she typed. **"I'm worried about Orion and Megatronus."**

She stopped, letting out a sigh. **"I shouldn't put my burdens on you, as Chromia says there's nothing to worry about. But I can see it in her optics that she's worried too. It wouldn't be hard for the Council to arrest Orion and Megatronus, or for them to have an unfortunate 'accident.' Even if they were accused of a crime they didn't commit, their word against the Council wouldn't get anywhere, as Orion is a clerk while Megatronus is a gladiator."**

The world went still for Raf. The Council. Orion and Megatronus. The Council!

"The Council!" he shouted, ignoring Miko's questions as to what Ariel was saying. He turned to the girl, his eyes wide with panic. "Miko, show her the pictures! Now!"

Miko scrambled for her phone, her fingers typing quickly. "Raf?" Jack demanded, alarmed at the boy's panic. "What's going on?"

"Optimus and Megatron are speaking to the Council today!" Raf said. "Which means today is the day Megatronus becomes the Decepticon, Megatron!"

Miko's eyes widened. "Oh no," she breathed.

Ariel noticed the frantic state the children were in, and had come over to kneel in front of them. She let them out of the box, her optics scanning them with concern. Miko held her phone up for Ariel to see, playing the video of her at the mine with Wheeljack.

 _"Wheeljack, you there?"_ they heard the Miko in the video suddenly ask. Jack and Raf both winced at the sudden, loud explosion, and Miko's startled shout. If Raf focused, he could hear Wheeljack's war cry as blaster fire rang out, the sound of large bodies slamming into into each other. They heard the clang of Wheeljack's swords, along with the sickening thud of a body falling next to Miko's phone, along with the girl's yelps of terror. Then the video went silent as it ended.

At first, the children weren't sure if Ariel understood what was going on. Then the pink femme reached for the Communicator. **"Play that again, please."**

They played the video three times, with Ariel watching intently, her optics narrowed. She tilted her helm several times, as if trying to get a different angle. Raf could see the way she would shoot Miko concerned looks, as if reassuring herself that the girl was alright and had survived the ordeal. At the end of the last video, Ariel sat back, a stunned look on her face.

"Wait," Miko said, going ot the picture of Soundwave. "There's more." She held her phone up, allowing Ariel to see. Ariel blinked in surprise, leaning in quickly. Out of all the Cybertronians they had seen so far, Soundwave was the most recognizable. So it was no surprise that Ariel recognized the mech. She looked at the children in shock, as if unable to believe it. **"Is that Soundwave?"**

Raf nodded. "Yes," he couldn't help but say. "Yes it is."

Ariel clenched her servos as she looked at the picture. Then she leaned in again, squinting. She looked back at the children once more. **"You knew Soundwave?"** Raf nodded.

Ariel looked almost hesitant to ask this, as her servos were shaking when she typed out her message. **"You were afraid of him."**

Raf didn't even hesitate to nod. Ariel let out a breath, her optics clouded. **"Was it for a good reason?"**

"Yes," Raf nodded.

"We're getting nowhere," Miko grumbled, impatient.

"No," Raf said, holding a hand up. "I think this is working Show her a picture of Optimus." He racked his brain, trying remember the certain clicks and beeps Bumblebee had used to communicate. He tried to remember the certain sound the word 'Council' had been used for in the Communicator. He looked up at Ariel, coming to a decision. He started to make clicking noises with his tongue, catching Ariel's attention. Despite his friends confused glances, he kept on going, making the strange noises. He could faintly remember Bumblebee making what he assumed had been an SOS signal when they were being pursued by the Cons a while ago. He just hoped the sounds he was making were close enough.

Raf felt a spark of fear run through him, and it was not his own feeling. Ariel scrambled back when Miko showed her the picture of Optimus. She reached for the Communicator. **"Is Orion in danger?"**

Raf wanted to scream in relief. "Yes!" he nodded. In a way, Orion was in danger. If Ariel could warn him and prevent him from going to the meeting, then Megatron wouldn't have any reason to become a Decepticon.

The femme leaped to her pedes, putting the children back in their box. She then strode to the door, her expression determined. "Wait!" Miko called out, stopping her. "Take us with you," the girl pleaded. "You'll need us."

Ariel hesitated, glancing at the children, knowing what they wanted even if she could not understand them. She sighed, running back in and grabbing the box. Excitement welled up inside Raf. This was it! They had successfully warned them about the war!

"We did it," Miko whispered, as if unable to believe it.

"We did it," Jack repeated, gripping their hands, his smile relieved.

Ariel's pede steps were quick and sure as she passed by Cybertronians and ran across the streets. They heard her speaking to someone through a comm link, hopefully to warn Optimus. Her expression was fierce as she broke out into a run. The children weren't even bothered by all the bumping around. If speed was what Ariel needed to warn Optimus and save Cybertron, then they prayed it was all she needed.

At that moment, the three friends looked at each other, realizing that it might be the last they would see each other. Raf swallowed the lump in his throat, wanting to say something but not able to get any words out. But Jack did it for him. "I love you guys," Jack said with a smile, looking at his friends. No snarky comment came from Miko as she smiled through her silent tears, and Raf was pretty sure his own heart would burst with the swell of feelings he was going through.

At that moment, Ariel came to a sudden stop, and Raf felt fear worm it's way inside of him. He looked up to see Ariel staring at something ahead. She then jumped back with a shout, throwing the box the children were in with such strength, ignoring their startled screams.

Then everything around them erupted in fire.


	14. Chapter 14

The heat of the explosion burned through Jack's clothes as he threw himself on top of Raf and Miko. The box they were in shattered into a million pieces as they hit the hard ground. Jack didn't move for what felt like an eternity, and he wondered if the explosion had killed him. He quickly dismissed the idea, as he would not be feeling any pain if he was dead. He slowly got up, wincing at the burned feeling in his back. Truth be told, he was surprised that was all that was wrong with him. Aside from the loud ringing in his ears and the pounding headache, he was alright. Looking up, he was shocked to find that Ariel had thrown them far from the explosion. He couldn't see the pink femme anywhere in all the wreckage and smoke. Cybertronians were stumbling around, the streets were scorched and there was burnt, twisted metal. Metal that Jack hoped was part of a building and not part of a once living Cybertronian.

"Ariel," Miko moaned, stirring. "Where's Ariel?"

Jack blinked the smoke out of his eyes, his vision clearing. He looked around, not spotting the femme anywhere. He helped Raf get to his feet, picking up the boy's cracked glasses. He noted how Miko's purple leggings were torn and scraped, and a slight breeze told him he had a large hole in the back of his shirt. He stumbled forward, trying to avoid the sharp glass that was once their box. The white cotton that was used to offer them comfort was now fluttering in the breeze, black and dirty from the outside world.

They didn't have to worry about too many Cybertronians stepping on them, as most of the giant robots were wounded and on the ground. Jack turned his friends away from the more gruesome sight of the explosion's aftermath, praying that Ariel didn't share the same fate.

They didn't know how long they stumbled around, calling out for Ariel, hoping she would miraculously show up from all the rubble and gather them all close to her spark, hoping she would chase away the nightmares and keep them safe and secure. He prayed that they wouldn't stumble on her remains, her pink body burnt and broken. Jack closed his eyes, trying to ward the images out of his mind. Where they responsible for what happened to her? If they hadn't been here, Ariel would have stayed home, away from the explosion. She would have been safe.

Miko's cry of joy pulled him out of his thoughts, and he opened his eyes to see Miko running towards the body of a Cybertronian. Jack's heart plummeted as he looked at Ariel's still form. Her once beautiful pink armor was now charred black, her bright optics dim and dark. Jack reached out a shaky hand, touching her cold face. "Please," he whispered. Please what? Please forgive me for bringing you here? Please wake up? Please be alright? Please don't die?

Miko had somehow climbed up and was curled on top of Ariel's spark chamber, her body shaking. Jack helped lift Raf up before climbing up himself. They stayed like that, curled on top of Ariel's still beating, yet weak spark. "You're going to be alright," Miko kept murmuring. "We came to save you, we came to save you."

Jack looked up, noticing that there were approaching Cybertronians who were kneeling next to the wounded. Hope rose up in Jack. "Help us!" he screamed to the medics. "Help us! Please!"

"She needs help!" Raf screamed desperately, his wide, brown eyes red from the smoke and tears trailing down his pale cheeks.

A shadow fell over them, and Jack looked up to see Gandalf kneeling down next to them. A wide smile of relief came across Jack's features. He let out a sigh. Yes, Gandalf will be able to help them.

The old mech gently lifted Ariel up, and the children held onto her as Gandalf walked away, holding Ariel close. Her helm leaned up against his chassis, but her optics remained dark. Gandalf looked down at her, murmuring to her softly. Hope swelled up in Jack's chest as he saw the determination in the mech's optics.

Gandalf strode forward, ignoring everything around him as he carried his precious burden. The children all clung to Ariel, as if that would keep her with them; keep her alive. Jack swallowed, tears falling down his cheeks. No, she will make it, she had to.

A shout from behind caught the children's attention, and Jack looked back to see the Imperial Guards approaching, their optics trained on Gandalf. But the old mech did not stop or even look back. In fact, he increased his speed, jogging to escape the now pursuing guards. Gandalf ducked into an alleyway, leaning up against the dark wall, his movements silent and full of purpose. Jack could hear the sounds of approaching pede steps, and he cringed back, as if that would help them go unseen.

Gandalf gently and soundlessly placed Ariel down, and it was at that moment that the first Imperial Guard showed up. Gandalf didn't even give the Cybertronian Seeker time to attack. He delivered a swift punch, causing the Guard's head to snap back with a sickening 'crack.' Even then, the old Cybertronian didn't pause in his attacks. He kept delivering punches, blocking the Guard's feeble attempts at defending himself. In a way, Gandalf's attacks reminded Jack of the time Optimus fought against Megatron when he regained his memories through Vector Sigma. The stance and the way he fought was eerily similar to Optimus's. This Guard dare to come and try to take something precious to him. This Guard dared to harm the helpless femme and children. This Guard was going to perish. Even now, Jack could see the once bloodthirsty optics of the Guard widen in fear as he came to the same conclusion.

Gandalf then jabbed at the Guard's neck before grabbing the Seekers wings, causing the Cybertronian to crumble to the ground. Jack, Raf and Miko barely registered what was happening before two more Guards swarmed into the alleyway. Gandalf met them head on, not letting them get anywhere near Ariel and the children.

"Look out!" Miko screamed suddenly. Jack looked up to see another Imperial Guard show up from behind, his sword raised to skewer Ariel's exposed spark.

"No!" Jack screamed, lunging forward. He scrabbled at the Guard's leg, digging his nails into the soft parts of the ankle. A small memory of Arcee showing him what to do should he find himself in a dangerous situation and how to attack flickered through his mind. He put that memory to good use. However, the Guard just shook his foot, sending Jack flying back and slamming into the wall. Pain exploded in his head as he hit the hard wall, but he tried to jump to his feet, clutching his now bleeding wrist. Gandalf looked up at Miko's cries and delivered a swift kick to the Guard before turning back to face the others.

A sudden shot rang out, causing Jack to cringe in horror. But his horror turned to confusion when he saw the Imperial Guard, who he had tried to attack, fall to the ground, a gaping hole in his chassis. He looked to see Miko covering Ariel's spark chamber with her body, her eyes desperately closed shut. His heart skipped a beat when he couldn't see Raf anywhere. Movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to look and see Raf clutching the first dead Guard's arm, the boy's hands trembling as he shifted them away from the large fingers he was clutching.

Jack looked back at the now dead Cybertronian, and back at Raf who stepped away from the Guard. Memories of their time in the Shadow Zone and using Starscream's misplaced arm to shoot the terricon came flashing back through Jack's mind. Apparently, Raf remembered what fingers to pull on a Seeker's arm. Raf looked up, his brown eyes weary, yet his expression hard. He stumbled forward, and Jack rushed to help stable him.

"You did good," he murmured to Raf, guiding him back to Ariel. "You did good." Raf could only nod, his small hands still trembling.

Gandalf, having finished off the two Cybertronians, scooped the two boys up and placed them next to Miko on Ariel's chassis. He then picked the wounded femme back up, striding back out into the open. Jack immediately feared that they would be attacked again, but no one stopped them. Everyone was hurrying around, going about their business.

A large, familiar building loomed up ahead, and Jack recognized it as the same one Cyclops worked at. Gandalf hurried in that direction, shifting Ariel in his arms.

"Why is he taking her there?" Miko demanded. "Shouldn't he be taking her to a hospital?"

At this moment, Jack had no answers for her, or for anyone. He just hoped Gandalf knew what he was doing, and that it would be enough to help Ariel.

Gandalf shoved the doors open, and strangely, no one was at the front desk. But that didn't seem to bother him as he strode up a flight of stairs. Jack looked around, noticing the sudden lack of people in the building. He swallowed, his nervousness coming back in full force.

Gandalf entered a dim, large room. He strode in, placing Ariel on a small med berth before heading back to the door and shutting it. Jack watched as he barricaded the doors before punching in a series of codes. He then rushed back over to where Ariel was, removing the children from her chassis and placing them on a nearby, small table. They all watched as he began hooking Ariel up with some wires, machines nearby suddenly coming to life. Jack noted how Gandalf's optics were narrowed with concentration as he worked, glancing at the beeping machines every once in awhile.

"We failed," Miko said dully. Jack turned to see her sitting down, hugging her knees to her chest. Jack didn't need to see her face to know that she was silently crying.

He sat down next to her, not knowing quite what to say. "Maybe...we didn't," he started.

"Don't say that," Miko snapped, looking up at him, her eyes blazing with guilt. "We didn't get a clear message to Optimus, and we put Ariel in danger. What if…" She let out a shuddering breath. "What if...we are responsible for her death? The reason that Optimus lost her?"

The thought was too horrifying for Jack to even think about. He closed his eyes, trying to deny it. Yet the bitter truth was still there, mocking him with his mistakes and what he could have done differently. Did they really kill Ariel? How could they go back now and face Optimus without thinking of her? Even in her last moments, the moment she could have used to save herself, she chose to save them. She used her last chance at safety to keep them alive.

Jack let out a breath. Yes, sacrificing herself to save the humans, just like Optimus would do. The thought of Optimus, so young and happy, brought the guilt back in full force. It was made worse when he could feel it coming from his friends too. So he said nothing, knowing he could do nothing with just words. So, he pulled his knees to his chest, watching as Gandalf worked on Ariel.

He had to look away at some point, as Ariel's dark optics continued to haunt him with their lifeless stare. She couldn't be dead, he told himself. Or else Gandalf wouldn't be working on trying so hard to save her. Questions were running through his brain in an effort to distract himself from the terrifying situation. Where was Optimus? Did he know what had happened? Was he worried for them? For Ariel? Or, had they changed the past just enough to do some good and he was now helping Megatron do some good?

Another horrifying thought occurred to him. What if, in their attempt to change the future, they had somehow killed Optimus too? Was he out there in the dirty streets, injured? Was he huddled in an abandoned alleyway, fighting for his life? Was he being hunted by Imperial Guards a this very moment with no one to save him?

Strangely yet, Jack found himself worrying for Megatron as well. Was he alright? Despite everything that was happening, would the future warlord still try to protect his brother? Jack could only hope. From the little he had seen of Megatron, he could see the good in him and how he cared for Optimus and how concerned he was for the children.

He frowned. But then again, was Megatron responsible for the explosion? Was he behind all of that? Was it all his supposed kindness a fake, a way to earn Optimus's trust?

Jack bit his lip as he glanced at his friends. Raf's breathing was shallow as he layed down, and Miko's skin was pale. Too pale. He moved as if to get up, only to stop when a stabbing pain tore into his side. He grunted, sitting back down. But the pain did not go away. If anything, it got worse. His breathing became labored, and he could feel himself breaking out into a cold sweat. A sudden chill swept over him, and he felt something cold and dark tugging at him in the corners of his mind. Not to mention, he had a splitting headache.

He looked up, the blurry shapes of Gandalf moving around. He blinked the sudden tears away, shaking his head. That proved to be a mistake as the headache only got worse. "Help," he whispered, his voice suddenly raspy.

By some miracle, Gandalf heard him and came striding over, picking the children up. He held them close to his spark, but the pain did not lessen. It was not the spark the children had grown familiar with. It was not Optimus, or Ariel.

"T'o't," Miko begged suddenly. Jack had to silently agree with her. Where was T'o't? Didn't he care what was happening to them? Was he angry for what they had done? For putting Ariel in such critical condition?

"I'm sorry," Jack whimpered. "I'm sorry T'o't. Please, come back."

Gandalf put them next to Ariel, and Jack was shocked to see her chassis wide open. He could see her bright, blue spark, glowing in the dim room. Miko let out a strangled cry, reaching out a weak hand for the femme. But the girl fell to her knees as he legs gave out. Jack's first instinct was to rush to her, but his legs would not obey him as he too, fell.

He could hear the sounds of machines being powered up in the background. Jack wanted to shift his head to see what Gandalf was doing, but it took too much effort. So, he closed his eyes, listening instead. A sudden blast of cool, comforting air caused him to quickly open them. He heard Gandalf approach them, carrying an object in his servos. He picked up the children before hurrying over to the now open ground bridge.

Jack blinked as he took in the swirling, blue and green lights. Gandalf had a ground bridge? From the sounds of it, it was more like a space bridge.

Gandalf placed the children down in front of the space/ground bridge before hurrying over to a few blinking machines. He plunged the strange object he had been holding into one of the machines, causing everything to go haywire.

Jack blinked, glancing over at the old mech, whose face was grave and full of...guilt?

Realization struck Jack like a lightning bolt. "No," he whispered aloud in horror.

"Jack?" Miko whispered, her voice raw. "What's happening?"

"He's sending us back," he said. And the terrible thing was, he didn't think that was what was happening. He knew that was what was happening.

Miko lurched up, as if she too had been struck by a lightning bolt. "No!" she shouted. "He can't send us away! We came to help!"

Gandalf moved forward, gently pushing the children forward. But Miko dug her heals.

"No," she said firmly. "We came to help, and we're not finished yet."

"Please," Raf pleaded, gripping the Cybertronian's finger. "Don't do this."

Jack looked up, Gandalf's optics heavy with understanding and sorrow. "Don't," Jack breathed. "Don't do this."

Gandalf looked at him, wisdom and memories in those ancient optics, and Jack knew that he would not be swayed.

"Scrap you!" Miko screamed at Gandalf, trying to break free. "You can't do this! You just can't!" Tears were falling down her face. "They'll die!"

Gandalf looked down at all three of them, his voice grave and full of meaning as he spoke to them. He gently pushed them forward, and to Jack's horror, he felt the ground bridge pulling at them. He fell down as he was dragged back. He reached out, trying to grab something, anything, to prevent this. But the slick metal of the flooring offered nothing for him to hold on to.

He could hear Miko's and Raf's screams as they were pulled forward. Finally, the ground bridge lifted him off of his feet, sending him flying back. He screamed as he tumbled forward before darkness consumed him.

* * *

Jack fell into the dirt with a solid 'thump.' He groaned before quickly scrambling up, his eyes locked on the bright ground bridge. He ran forward, his intentions of running back to Cybertron quite clear. But the ground bridge closed with a silent 'snap,' leaving him to stare at nothing but an empty field.

"No!" Miko screamed as she ran forward. She fell to her knees, sobbing. "Ariel," she sobbed, repeating the name over and over. "Ariel."

Jack looked back to see Raf wandering forward, lost. His eyes were dim, his pale face slack. He stared at the field, as if expecting the ground bridge to show up again. But it didn't. It was gone.

The familiar or not so familiar sounds of the birds chirping, the smell of the dirt, and the feeling of the wind surrounded Jack. Yet he saw none of it. The pain and headaches were gone, as if they had never existed. There was no lingering throbbing, no pain. But there was a hole in Jack's heart, like he had left something behind. Something important.

Because he had. Not only had they failed to save Cybertron and their friends. But they had left everyone else behind. They had one chance to make things right, and they blew it. They had tarried too long, they just hadn't tried hard enough to warn them.

They were home, they were back on Earth. And Cybertron was truly dead.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reviewing. The story on Orion and Ariel's point of views is called Frame of Time. I am willing to take suggestions, such as what you would like to see, how Orion and Ariel interact with the kids, etc.**

 **I do not own anything.**

* * *

Jack hobbled up the low hill, carrying a sleeping Raf. His legs were burning and his arms were aching, but he kept on marching up the hill. They had been walking for hours, and already, it was dark. Miko trudged on at his side, silent and withdrawn. Jack let out a sigh, shifting the sleeping Raf in his arms. The younger boy had tried to keep up with them, but in the end, Jack just picked him up, despite his protests. In less than five minutes, Raf was asleep in his arms.

It was strange, in a weird and comforting sort of way. He could still feel the emotions rolling off of his friends in waves, like the bond was still intact. He had been able to sense ahead of time Raf's weariness, and Miko's grief was at one point overwhelming. Or was that just his grief he was feeling? At this point, he could not tell. But a small part of him was comforted that that little bit had not changed between them. He had grown used to the bond they had all shared now, and he knew they felt the same, despite the situation they were all in now.

They couldn't call for help, since their phones were dead, and they hadn't come upon any civilization. Seriously, Gandalf couldn't bridge them near a small town or something? Though, Jack supposed it could be worse. At least they weren't bridge to some island, or in the middle of the ocean. He shuddered at the thought. Nope, he supposed that this was for the best, despite their circumstances.

He looked back to see Miko slowing down. He frowned, concerned for her. "Come on Miko,' he said. "Just a little further." The girl looked at him with tired eyes before jogging to keep up.

"It looks like there's a barn up ahead," Jack grunted suddenly. Indeed, in the distance, he could see the large, shabby building beneath the hill. "We can sleep there for the night."

Miko said nothing as she followed him, and Jack began to worry. But his worry faded away at the thought of rest, and shelter. By the time they shoved the creaking, wooden barn door open, Jack was ready to collapse into the pile of strangely, comfortable looking hay. He gently set Raf down in the hay before laying down himself. Miko settled down next to Raf, the two teens shielding the younger boy. Jack barely felt the sharp, prickling hay as he laid his head down, his body too tired to notice anything else as he closed his eyes.

Memories came back. Terrible memories. He saw Ariel, her face twisted in pain as a ball of fire surrounded her. He saw Optimus, clutching his spark as if in pain. He saw Megatron, his once blue and pure optics now blood red, his face twisted in hate. Screams echoed around him, the clash of metal on metal, the sounds of blaster fire; all of it pounded in his brain. He saw a figure standing over him, with the intent of harming his friends.

Jack's eyes snapped open, realizing that the last part was not a dream. A large man was standing over him, his hand outstretched to touch them.

Jack reacted quickly, kicking his legs out with a fierce growl and sending the man stumbling back. Jack launched to his feet, ignoring the pain that erupted from his back from the large burn. He stood there, hands balled into fists as he glared at the man, his eyes sparking dangerously. He stood protectively over his now awakening friends, his intentions clear:Touch them, you die.

"Easy there son," the man grunted, holding his hands up peacefully. Jack squinted, cocking his head and noticing the elderly man and his kind features. But Jack did not move as he regarded the stranger.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The man stared at him with concern. "I could be asking you the same thing, seeing as you and your friends are sleeping in my barn."

Jack relaxed briefly, though he did not move. "Sorry," he muttered.

The old man looked him up and down, and Jack stiffened up, though he didn't feel as if he was in any danger. This man seemed kind and concerned for them.

"What happened to you?" the man asked, stepping forward. When Jack did nothing, the man took that as a sign to approach them. "You look terrible."

Jack glanced down at his soot covered hands and his torn clothes. Glancing over at Raf and Miko, who were blinking at the man, he could see they fared no better. Both were covered in dirt and grime sweat covering their brows. Raf's glasses were cracked and Miko's knees were scraped.

"We, uh," he started, unsure how to explain this. "We were pranked." At the man's startled look, he clarified. "Some jerks shoved us into their car and drove off before dumping us in the middle of nowhere." He looked at the man. "If you don't mind me asking, where are we?"

The man tore his gaze away from the dirty Raf and Miko. "You're in Appelton Wisconsin."

Jack blanched. Wisconsin? How were they in Wisconsin? Noticing Jack's startled look, the man frowned. "You ain't from around here, are you?"

Jack dumbly nodded. "You could say that." No need to tell him that they were from Nevada, over five states away from home.

The gestured forward. "Why don't you and your friends come in? Get away from this chill? My Heather is making some waffles for breakfast." He glanced back at Jack's torn shirt. "And I'm sure we have some new, clean clothes for you guys to borrow."

* * *

Travis and Heather Hudson were a nice, elderly couple who lived by themselves, tending to the farmland. Their three sons were all grown and out of the house, yet they stayed in contact with their parents on a regular basis.

Heather shook her head ruefully. "That is some cruel prank they played on you poor kids," she said.

Jack shrugged. "Well, Vince isn't exactly known for being nice." Might as well throw the bully, Vince, under the bus. After all, stick with what you know when you're spinning a lie. As far as Travis and Heather knew, Vince and his friends had jumped him, Raf and Miko before shoving them into his car. They were then dumped at the side of the road and they had decided to bunk in the Hudson's barn for the night.

Heather ushered him into the bathroom, handing him a pair of folded jeans and a t-shirt. "These are Travis's," she said kindly. "Hopefully they will fit you. There's a bar of soap and washcloths for you to use to clean up. Feel free to use the shower if you'd like."

Jack smiled, the sudden kindness from this woman warming his broken heart. "Thank you," he said tiredly. Heather smiled before gently leading Miko into her own room to find some clothes for the girl. Raf was already in his own part of the bathroom and washed up, wearing an oversized shirt and shorts.

Jack entered the small bathroom, dumping the clothes on the nearby stand. He glanced at himself in the mirror for the first time in what felt like weeks, and stared at his reflection. His face was thin, dirty and covered in soot. His eyes were red and bloodshot from the crying he had done last night. His shirt was ruined, and upon turning around, he could see the red, blistered burns on his back from where the blast from the explosion had hit him. He winced as he pulled off his shirt, hissing at the stinging pain. Reaching for the soap and rag, he hesitantly washed at his face, noticing the dark hairs growing on his chin and cheeks from the lack of shaving. He blinked, wondering if he looked good with facial hair.

When he emerged from the bathroom, wearing the new jeans and large, dark t-shirt, he felt better. Glancing at Miko and Raf who were sitting at the table, he could tell that they felt the same. Though Miko had yet to say anything, as she stared off into space, as if lost. Raf was poking at his plate, blinking the tears away.

"Thank you Mr and Mrs Hudson," Jack said, sitting next to Miko. He noted that she was now wearing her hair down, the black and pink colors blending nicely as it framed her face. "It's really thoughtful for you to have taken us in."

Heather beamed. "Think nothing of it dear. I just can't believe that you three spent the night in our barn. It is hardly comfortable for anyone."

Jack grinned. "Well, we barely noticed the lack of comfort."

It was strange to be eating real food instead of that mush Optimus and Ariel had given them. The waffles smelled delicious and tasted light and fluffy in Jack's mouth. But the memories of the two Cybertronians brought a sudden, pained feeling into Jack's heart.

"These are good," Raf said quietly, gesturing at the waffles, and Jack was surprised to hear the younger boy speak.

Heather smiled. "Thank you very much. It's my sister's recipe."

Travis grunted. "You should try her homemade maple syrup. Better than any store bought junk they've been selling these days."

Jack smiled. "Nothing like homemade food to freshen up the kitchen." He frowned thoughtfully, a sudden thought occurring to him. "Do you mind if I use your phone to call my mom? To let her now that we are okay?"

Heather got up. "Not at all. I'd imagine she'd be worried sick."

Jack nodded, following her out of the kitchen. "She would be."

Listening to the phone ring as he waited for his mother to pick up felt like forever. And when he heard her, _"Hello?"_ His heart stilled, and his throat clogged up as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Mom?" he choked out.

 _"Jack!"_ she exclaimed, and that was all he needed before the tears started falling down his cheeks. " _What is it? What's wrong?"_

"Mom," he started again, taking in a breath. He forced his knees to stop trembling, as he had wanted to crumble to the floor at the sound of his mother's voice. "We're alright, but...I just," his voice trembled. "Can you send someone for us? We're in Appelton Wisconsin, and-"

 _"What are you doing in Wisconsin?"_ his mother demanded suddenly, concerned.

"It's...a long story," he said. "But...can you please send someone?"

" _Yes Jack, I'll call Ratchet right away,"_ she said. _"Honey, are you sure you're alright?"_

Jack smiled, content with listening to his mother's voice. "I will be," he said. He couldn't wait to see her again, and at this moment, he couldn't wait to hug her and feel his mother's protection and love as she held him. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he loved it when she held him. He felt safe, and protected. She could say so much to him with just a simple touch, a simple smile.

"I love you," he said.

 _"I love you too Jack,"_ she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. _"Tell me the address, and I'll call Ratchet."_

When Jack stumbled back into the kitchen, he could see Miko and Raf helping Mrs Heather clearing the dishes. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Go sit down on the couch, and feel free to turn the TV on." She shooed them out of the kitchen. "Go on, you've been through a traumatic experience."

"You have no idea," Miko muttered, her voice soft. Jack placed his arm around her in an effort to comfort his friend.

They were silent as they settled onto the couch, not doing anything. "It's like we've never even left," Raf spoke up finally.

Jack looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Raf sagged against the couch, seeking it's comfort. "The day is still the same, I checked the calendar in the kitchen."

Jack swallowed, a piece of whatever puzzle that was layed out forming into place. That would at least explain why his mom hadn't been too worried. She hadn't know he had been gone.

"Do you think he hates us?" Miko asked suddenly.

Jack didn't even have to ask who 'he' was. He shook his head. "I don't think he is capable of hate," he confessed. He couldn't bring himself to say Optimus's name, too many painful thoughts coming to mind.

"What if he's disappointed?" Raf asked, his voice wavering.

Jack swallowed, not trusting himself to answer. Instead, he just leaned into the couch, his heart suddenly heavy. He couldn't bare it if Optimus was disappointed or angry with him. The Prime was the closest thing to a father he had ever had.

"Is your mom picking you up?" Travis asked, coming in.

Jack looked up, shrugging. "A...friend of ours lives nearby. He should be here to pick us up." He had no idea if it would be Ratchet or Bulkhead who'd be picking them up. Arcee wouldn't be able to carry them on her motorcycle form, but she would probably show up anyway.

Travis nodded. "Would you guys like to sit outside? The fresh air might do you some good."

Jack got up, his friends following. "That might be a good idea," he said. Miko and Raf each took his hands, not wanting to be separated from each other.

Travis led them out to the front porch and had them sit down on the large porch swing while he sat in a nearby chair. "Thank you," Jack said softly. "Again, for taking us in."

Travis smiled. "Of course. You kids look like you've been through a lot." He paused, glancing at Jack. "You three weren't hurt in any other way, were you?"

Jack glanced down, his heart twisting. "No," Miko said softly.

"We just...found out that we lost someone very dear to us," Jack said finally, looking up. "We never got the chance to say goodbye."

Travis's eyes shone with pity. "I'm sorry about that," he said kindly, and he sounded like he meant it.

Jack was about to say more when a familiar, approaching vehicle caught his attention. He stood up, not daring to believe his eyes. "Optimus?" he whispered in shock. Of all the things he had been expecting, he had not expected Optimus to be picking them up. He wasn't even sure if he was ready to face him yet.

Miko and Raf looked up at the name. "T'o't!" Miko shrieked, jumping off the swing and flying off the porch and toward the truck.

The Autobot stopped, his door swinging open as his holoform stepped out, his face tight with concern. A wide smile of relief spread across his features as he ran forward. "Jack, Miko, Raphael!" he called out.

Miko was the first to reach him, slamming into his solid form. The Prime didn't even stagger back as he wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," he said, stroking her hair. "It will be alright, Nelchie."

Raf's ran over, tears streaming down his face as Optimus gathered the smaller boy into his arms. Jack approached hesitantly, worry worming its way into his gut. But when Optimus looked up at him, there was no judgement, no condemnation. Only love and joy at seeing them safe and sound. "Jack," he said softly, reaching out to him.

That was all he needed as Jack ran forward, resting his head in the Prime's shoulders as he cried. He clung to him with the intent of never letting go. Optimus just held them, his embrace strong and safe, the feeling of his spark signature wrapping around them in a comforting warmth.

"You the father?" Travis asked, coming forward. He glanced at Optimus's dark hair, no doubt thinking he was related to Jack. Heather also came out of the house, her expression warm as she looked at the reunited family.

Optimus looked up at the elderly couple, his expression grateful. "Yes, I am. I thank you for taking care of my children." There was a firm truth in his words, and it filled the kids hearts with joy to hear him say that. To address them as his own.

Travis nodded, a soft smile on his face. "It was no trouble." He then frowned. "I hope you'll be reporting this to the police. That was an unkind prank for those boys to be playing on anyone."

Optimus frowned, and Jack could feel his confusion. "Of course," the Prime said instead, playing along. "I have a friend who deals with matters of such situations. I will be reporting it to him as soon as we get home."

Heather nodded, coming over. "I certainly hope those pranksters are punished," she said firmly, her eyes shinning with disapproval.

Optimus nodded once again. "I thank you again for your kindness," he said, getting up. He kept a firm hold on Jack, Miko and Raf though.

Heather smiled. "Any time." She looked at the kids. "Take care," she said.

Jack tugged at his shirt. "What about-?"

She waved a hand. "Oh, don't worry about the clothes, dear." She handed them a large, plastic bag. "But here are your old ones, just in case. You can keep the ones you are wearing."

Jack looked up, his eyes shining. "Thank you," he said.

Optimus gently led the children to his truck, starting his engine up. They drove away, leaving the tiny house and the Hudson's behind. Once they were out of sight, Optimus deactivated his holoform. Yet the comforting presence was still there as the children huddled in his comfortable seats.

"Thank you, T'o't," Jack said.

"You are welcome, Jackson," Optimus said.

Everyone was silent, questions swarming the children's minds. Finally, Miko blurted out what they all were thinking. "We're sorry," she said, her voice cracking.

Jack could feel Optimus frown. "Sorry for what?"

Miko looked down at her folded hands. "For...failing. For not saving you all."

"Miko," Optimus chided gently. "You did not fail at anything."

"Yes, we did," Miko said. "We had a chance to save Cybertron, to save you all." Her lip trembled. "But we didn't. We didn't do enough."

Optimus was silent for a moment, and Jack feared that he was actually upset with them. What kind of beings, after all, fail to change the future? To save the ones they loved? He swallowed at the lump forming in his throat. How many died because of their mistakes?

"You are not responsible for Cybertron's death, Jack," Optimus said suddenly, and Jack was startled that the Prime knew what he was thinking. Then, he remembered the bond they all shared, the bond they had formed on Cybertron. "None of you are," he continued. "The war was in play long before any of you showed up in Iacon. Even if we could communicate, as we do now, there was nothing you could have done."

"But what about Rosy?" Raf asked.

Optimus was silent for a moment. "Rosy?" he asked, and they could hear the surprise in his voice.

"Ariel," Miko clarified. "The pink femme."

"What happened to her?" Jack asked worriedly, afraid of the answer.

Surprisingly, Optimus's answer came through as warm, and there was fondness to his tone. "You were not the cause of Ariel's demise, if that is what you are worried about."

Miko looked up sharply. "Is she alright?" Hope was in her tone, as was in Jack and Raf's hearts.

They could feel Optimus smile. "Yes, she is alive and well and leads her own team of femmes in the fight against the Decepticons. As of today, she goes by the name Elita-One."

Miko chuckled, her voice suddenly light. "Really? That's awesome!"

"Was she your girlfriend?" Raf asked shyly. Jack leaned forward, interested in Optimus's answer.

"No," Optimus said, amusement in his tone. "She is my sparkmate."

Silence. Then Miko's excited, "Oh My Goodness!" And Raf's surprised squeak, "Sparkmate?" And Jack's, "No way!"

"I knew it!" Miko declared, pointing at Jack with a wide smile. "I just knew it, but you didn't believe me!"

"So she's alive," Jack breathed in relief, settling down in his seat. They all knew what and who a sparkmate was. They had spent enough time around the Autobots to understand what it meant. The thought of Optimus with a wife brought a smile to Jack's face.

"Yes," Optimus answered softly. "But I want you to know that it was not your fault that Ariel was wounded on that fateful day. She is a strong, and determined femme, and she would do anything to set things right. You could not have stopped her from going out, even if you had tried."

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Actually," he started. "It is our fault that she was caught in the explosion. We had managed to warn her about Megatron, and we assumed that she was rushing out to stop you from going to the Council."

Optimus was silent for a moment. "Jack," he said finally. "Whatever happened that day was not your fault. Ariel did not approve of me going before the Council with no one there but Megatron to assist me. She was worried about what could happen, that something would happen to me. I would assume that she would have gone anyway, regardless if you were there or not."

Jack nodded. "Maybe." But he wasn't entirely convinced. The seat belt around him tightened, as if in a comforting embrace. Jack smiled, stroking the dashboard lovingly. "So you remember everything?" he asked

"Yes," Optimus answered. "As does Ratchet."

Miko frowned. "Ratchet?" Then her eyes widened before she smacked her forehead. "Ratchet was Dude," she muttered. Jack wanted to kick himself for not making the connection sooner. Raf groaned at their ignorance, muttering how it all made sense now.

"When June contacted us and informed us that you were in Wisconsin," Optimus continued. "I told Ratchet to bridge me there right away. I wanted to see you, wanted you to remember."

"Optimus," Miko piped up. "What does Melchnie, Nelchie, and Lechnie mean?"

"Yeah," Raf said. "They all sound like they have the same ending."

Optimus paused for a moment. "Those were the Cybertronian names Ariel gave you when we found you."

"Yeah, but what do they mean?" Miko asked.

Optimus voice sounded sheepish when he answered. "Melchnie, in our language, means 'cutie' and Nelchie means 'meanie'. While Lechnie means 'squeakie'."

Jack blinked. "Seriously?" he demanded, while Raf laughed in amusement. He glared at his friend. "Oh, I'm glad you find that funny."

"You were called 'squeakie'," Raf chortled. As annoyed as he was, Jack was glad to see his younger friend smiling.

"Why did I get 'meanie'?" Miko demanded with a pout.

"If you would recall," Optimus started. "You kicked me in the optic."

Miko shrunk back. "Sorry," she muttered.

Optimus chuckled. "Quite alright."

Miko bolted up, her eyes wide before narrowing in realization. "Wait a minute! Your wife spanked me!"

"It was preparing her for motherhood," Raf commented cheekily. They could all feel Optimus's amusement as the conversation carried on.

"What about the bond?" Jack asked suddenly. "I...we, can still feel each other's feelings, and your's too."

"It would stand to reason that the amount of time I held you close to my spark on Cybertron caused us all to form a bond," Optimus said. "We assumed it was what kept you three alive for so long. But we are not certain why. But however it happened, I am glad to share a bond with all three of you. I would not have it anyother way." Jack had to agree, he wouldn't have it anyother way either. He briefly wondered if he could reach out and feel Elita-One through the bond.

"Optimus," Miko asked tentatively. "Could you...keep on driving for a little while?"

"Certainly," Optimus said kindly. Jack felt his eyes close at the relaxing feeling of the sentient truck drive down the road, the warm feeling of the Prime's spark and the feeling of protection again. Yes, he recognized this spark, he recognized Optimus.

"Just so you know," Miko muttered smugly from the backseat as she and Raf lay down, snuggling in Optimus's comfortable seats. "We gave you the name 'Big Red'."

Jack smiled at Optimus's confusion that the Prime was broadcasting over the bond. He drifted off to sleep, feeling much safer than he ever had.

* * *

 **Fun Fact: Heather and Travis Hudson were the nice elderly couple who helped Logan from the X-men Wolverine Origins Movie.**


	16. Epilogue

Arcee stared at the picture Jack was showing her, optics glimmering with sadness as she recalled fond memories. The children's arrival back brought a lot of questions from everyone. His mother had been worried and held him close as Optimus explained what had happened to them. Miko was all too willing to share with everyone the names she had given Optimus and Ratchet. The medic had looked aghast at the name 'Dude,' muttering something about being 'unprofessional' and how there was 'no respect.'

They had all shown the pictures of the buildings and sunsets of Cybertron, and Jack would never forget the wave of homesickness that washed in the room. Optimus had looked at them, his optics bright and sad. "Thank you," he had said. "For reminding us."

"No joke," Jack said slowly, looking at Arcee. "But that's you?" Arcee, his partner and friend, was Squeaks? He decided not to tell her the name Miko had given her then.

Arcee nodded as she gazed at the picture of Chromia holding the sparkling. "Yes, that's me," she said softly.

Jack blinked. "So that means...that Optimus is kind of like your brother-in-law!"

Arcee grinned. "Something like that."

Jack could barely process this new information. "Do you share a bond with him then?" he asked.

Arcee frowned thoughtfully. "There are times when I can...feel him; Feel his pain, and I know he can feel mine."

Jack shook his head. "That's amazing," he breathed. He had so many questions running through his head. What were her earliest memories? What did she like to do? He looked back at the picture, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. He shook his head, chuckling. "Wow, that's so weird that I saw you as a baby." He looked up teasingly. "You were adorable."

Arcee huffed. "All sparklings are adorable, Jack. I remember your mother showing me pictures of you as a child."

Jack blushed at the memory. Clearing his throat, he started. "So, I only saw you and Ariel with the blue femme-"

"Chromia," Arcee corrected fondly.

"Chromia," Jack said. "Yes, I saw you with her. But, I didn't see your parents."

Almost immediately, he could see Arcee's demeanor change. She shifted around, looking away as her optics dimmed. Jack didn't need to share a bond with her to feel the sudden sadness washing over his partner.

"Arcee," he started quickly. "It's okay, we don't have to-"

"No," she said. "It's alright." She took in a deep breath, her optics shuddering closed. "I lost my creators when I was very young. I couldn't have been more than a few months old when they perished. I still needed them, my spark needed them. Elita and Chromia had to take on the role as my parents. They had to hold me close to their sparks to forge a parental bond with me to keep me alive." She grimaced. "They would stay up late, afraid that my spark would give out at any moment. My life was at risk, and death was always knocking at my door. Chromia would have to take me to work just to hold me close."

Jack was silent for a moment, reaching out to gently touch her servo. "I'm sorry," he said.

Arcee finally looked at him with a small smile. "Even as a sparkling, I can still remember the warmth and love they had for me. My birth was a true surprise to our creators, but Elita always told me I was a blessing." She chuckled. "But Chromia would then tell me how much of a 'Pit-spawn Devil' I was when it came to disturbing her sleep."

Jack chuckled, suddenly seeing the blue femme with her servos on her hips, reciting such words. "What was your life like?" he asked suddenly.

Arcee blinked, surprised. "What?"

"What was growing up like for you?" he asked, settling down as if he expected that he would be there for a while. "What did you do as a child? Who were your friends?"

Arcee looked at him uncertainly. "Oh, I'm not sure my childhood would be very interesting," she confessed.

"But it's interesting to me," he persisted.

Arcee looked caught off guard, falling silent. Glancing back at her partner, she could see that he was serious and genuine. She sighed, fond memories swarming back. "My earliest memories were of Elita taking me to Iacon…"

* * *

"No way!" Miko exclaimed excitedly. "You built that?"

Bulkhead nodded. "Yep, I was one of the construction workers on that building," he said, gesturing to the picture Miko was showing. "Though we never finished, since tensions were rising between the caste system."

Miko looked back at the picture. "Cool," she breathed. "I wonder if I saw you and just didn't know it."

Bulkhead chuckled. "Probably." He fell silent, and Miko looked at him sharply. She could see the concern in his optics, the way his jaw clenched and how his optics flickered over to look at her when he thought she wouldn't notice. Normally, Miko wouldn't be this observant, but the past few days had changed her. It made her value the small things in her life, made her value her own life. She felt...different, like she was in tune and noticing things she normally wouldn't have before.

"What's wrong Bulk?" she asked, turning to face him.

Bulkhead shifted, glancing at his large servos. "I...uh…" He let out a frustrated breath. "Are you alright?" he asked suddenly, looking at her.

She blinked, not expecting that question. "Um, yeah. I'm fine." She cocked her head. "Why?"

Bulkhead swallowed. "It's just that...you were gone, and in danger. I wasn't there to protect you from harm...or from Megatron."

Miko frowned. "But Bulk, I'm-"

"I mean, for Primus sake, you almost died!" he exclaimed. "And I wasn't there to help you at all. You walked right by my work station and I didn't even notice you."

Miko rose from her seat, her face firm. "That's not your fault. As far as you knew, we hadn't even meet. You wouldn't have known who I was even if I walked right in front of you. I'm not even sure I'd have recognized you. I didn't even recognize Optimus! And I practically live here!"

Bulkhead looked at her. "Yes, but I almost lost you," his voice came out hushed, pained. "You were...from what you told us of your experience, it sounded like you were dying. You were being pulled back, and you were in pain." He let out a shaky breath. "What if Time had managed to do one of its...things and erase you from history? What if I had never meet you? What if you were never born?"

Miko only took a moment to respond. "The thing about Time, is that it's always changing. The past is done with and is history. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. But what we do right now in this moment will affect that future. But we can't make the best choices in life if we're always stuck in the past, asking a bunch of useless 'what if's'."

Bulkhead blinked, as did Miko. "Woah," she said. "I think I need to check myself for a beard of wisdom or something," she joked in an effort to lighten the mood.

Bulkhead grinned. "I can see a stubble." At Miko's startled yelp, he chuckled. "No, not really." He stared at her with soft, blue optics. "I'm glad you're alright."

She nodded. "Yeah, me too." She settled back in her seat. "So, tell me about your work."

Bulkhead grinned excitedly. "Well, I would get up at the crack of dawn, when it was still dark out. I was mostly used for demolition, but when I would get the chance to build, I handled it with care. I loved creating things and walking by a building I helped put up and knowing that I had something to do with it. My shift would end way into the night, when it was still dark."

Miko frowned. "Didn't you ever get tired of getting up so early? I know I would."

Bulkhead nodded. "Sometimes, I would grumble and wish that my life were different. But when I arrived at work, I would look up and see the most beautiful sunrise ever. That was, as you guys would say, my million dollar view. I would hear the people stirring awake, and shops opening. But those moments, when it was just me and the sun, I could pretend that I was the only being on the planet."

Miko hugged her knees to her chest. "All alone on a vast planet? Wouldn't that feel lonely?"

He shrugged. "There were times when I would feel...uncertain. I never liked the feeling of being alone. But I always had my construction buddies with me."

Miko smiled. "Maybe I'll do what you did, Bulk."

The green mech looked at her. "Well, here's the thing, Miko. Sure, I enjoyed some of the stuff about my job. But I didn't have much of a choice in what I got to do with my life. That was all up to the Council. But you," he stared at her with intensity. "You have a choice. You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it and work hard for it." He shook his helm regretfully. "I could build things, but I never had a say on how to build it. I never got to choose what designs went into my work, or how I thought it should be done, and there was nothing I could do to influence my opinion. My suggestions would go unnoticed, and I could never improve my craft."

Miko frowned. "That sounds...sad," she said.

He shrugged again. "It was what it was. There were times when I wished to just give up. But seeing the finished project was always worth it."

Miko beamed. "Yeah, I get that feeling sometimes," she said, thinking about her drawings. She smiled excitedly at her guardian. "Tell me more."

* * *

"I think you cheated, Bee," Raf teased.

The scout placed a servo over his chassis, as if he had been struck. **"Cheated? Me? Raf, how could you think so little of me?"**

"Because you always win," Raf pointed out.

 **"That's because I've had more experience then you,"** Bumblebee said, and Raf could see him grin behind the mouth guard.

Seeing that brought a familiar pain of guilt running through him, and Raf had to look away at his guardian. If Raf had only tried harder, Bee would still have his voice back. He would still have a family.

 **"Hey, Raf,"** Bumblebee said, and Raf found himself being turned around by the Autobot. Bumblebee's large optics gazed down at him with concern. **"What's on** **your mind?"**

Raf swallowed, looking away. "Nothing," he mumbled.

Bumblebee let out a small beep of concern, and Raf knew that he wasn't going to get out of this one. His guardian could be persistent. **"You know you can tell** **me,"** he reminded him.

Raf nodded quickly. "I know," he said. A quick glance up confirmed that Bee was still waiting expectantly. "I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

But Bumblebee heard him anyway. **"Sorry for what?"**

"For not being able to save you...or your voice." He glanced up at his friend. "I know it still hurts, mentally and physically."

Bumblebee straightened up, and Raf feared that he had poked at a still sensitive wound. But Bumblebee's optics were kind as he regarded Raf. **"Optimus told us everything, and none of us blame you for what you did. Trying to stop the past, especially without communicating, would be like trying to stop a massive boulder from rolling downhill. It was never your fault."**

Raf nodded, staring at his shoes. "I...understand."

 **"Besides,"** Bumblebee said cheerfully. **"I never would have meet you. Even without my voice, Primus has blessed me with a way to communicate with you. It's something only we share; it's our thing."** He looked at Raf with pure happiness. **"I enjoy spending time with you, Raf, and I value our friendship. I wouldn't trade it for anything, not even my voice."**

Raf looked up with a small smile as Bumblebee gently placed him on his shoulder. **"So, what's on the agenda now?"** he asked. **"Do you want another rematch? Maybe learn a trick or two on how to cheat-I mean...win?"**

A sudden thought occurred to Raf, and he glanced at his friend's helm. "Maybe," he said. Then, he reached over and gently rubbed the side of Bee's helm.

 **"Raf? What are you-?"** The Autobot stopped, closing his optics in content. **"That feels good,"** he murmured.

Raf smiled. "I thought it would."

* * *

Optimus gazed at his team, his family, with warmth and love. Everyone was chatting excitedly, all at ease for a moment. There was no war, no death. Everyone was just content to seize the moment of peace.

"'Dud'," Ratchet muttered. "She couldn't have come up with a better name? One that describes my craft and talents?"

Optimus chuckled. "It is Miko, what would you expect?"

"Anything but that!" Ratchet exclaimed. "That name lacks a certain creativity!" He looked at Optimus suddenly, his helm cocked. "Can you still feel them?"

Optimus automatically reached out where his spark chamber was, feeling the life and bond of the three children. He smiled softly when they all responded to his silent nudge like eager sparklings, ready to accept and learn. Looking up, he could see Jack, Raf and Miko all looking at him with knowing and excited smiles. Jack sent a small feeling of warmth, to which Optimus responded back.

"Yes," he said softly. "Yes, I can."


End file.
